


Not So Orphaned After All

by Untherius



Category: Tangled (2010)
Genre: Coming of Age, F/M, Gen, Secrets, pyrokinesis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-10
Updated: 2012-08-10
Packaged: 2017-11-11 20:57:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/482829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Untherius/pseuds/Untherius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the return trip from an otherwise typical diplomatic mission to England, Eugene discovers that he's not nearly as orphaned as he'd always believed.  His family joins him and Rapunzel in Corona where they must deal with the chaos that is life in the Corona Royal Palace.  Yet once there, they're confronted with something both wonderful and terrifying that they never would have believed, something that could threaten the growing bond between Eugene and his family.<br/>Written for Tangled Big Bang 2012.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Eugene Fitzherbert sat inside a covered carriage, gazing out the window. Actively observing his surroundings was something he'd learned to do as a child. It had eventually become natural for him to take note of things like potential threats, objects he could use as weapons, and possible routes of egress, and it had saved his life on multiple occasions. Recently, though, that habit had been re-trained and redirected, thanks in no small part to Rapunzel, his wife of fifteen years. She'd taught him to observe other things as well, to see the beauty in his surroundings, and to notice every detail, no matter how inconsequential. That last had also served him well in his position as Corona's Chief of Security and had led to more than one arrest and conviction.

After watching field after field of cattle, sheep, wheat, and the occasional hamlet, he turned his attention to Rapunzel and took time to watch her as she herself gazed out the other window. He basked in the typical wide-eyed enthusiasm she had for everything, no matter how mundane. Eugene had once thought she'd eventually wear herself out, become world-weary, grow bored, or be distracted by her responsibilities as Crown Princess and mother of four. So far, he'd been wrong and her capacity for youthful wonderment appeared to be limitless.

It wasn't that he minded, of course. Her energy was infectious to most, but Eugene could swear that his Royal in-laws became tired just watching their daughter, especially when she took to rampaging through the palace halls with her children and younger sister.

So Eugene just sat back and watched his wife, the way her green eyes sparkled, and the way the sun glinted off her brown, slightly orange-tinted, hair. It seemed to shimmer when the wind caught bits of it from the knotted ponytail in which she wore it when in private. She also still frequently wore the hair pins he'd given her the day their eldest daughter was born, the sunlight glinting off the black obsidian mounted on their ends. She pointed at something and turned to him, then smiled in that way she did when she was amused with him. Then she gave him the special eyebrow-bump that was their private code for, “honey, you're glowing.” Eugene just chuckled and returned the signal.

He would have scooted over to engage in some of what he called “proper appreciation,” if it were not for the pair of aids and a lady-in-waiting sitting across from them. For now, he'd have to content himself with simply holding her hand. He sighed forlornly and the two of them returned their attention to the countryside.

*****

After a while, the carriage pulled into the streets of Canterbury. Rapunzel had wanted to travel that way after reading Chaucer some years before, but one thing or another had always taken precedence. It so happened on this particular voyage that the tide, extra run-off from the Thames, and an approaching storm made their usual docking at Westcliff-on-Sea problematic. Their ship had unloaded the Fitzherberts' diplomatic party and some trade goods and re-loaded a quarter of its hold before shoving off. The ship's First Officer generally preferred to ride storms off-shore, especially when the ship wasn't loaded down or carrying Royal passengers.

Thus Eugene and Rapunzel's return overland trip took them through Canterbury on their way to meet the Coronan ship at Ramsgate. But Eugene had his own reasons for agreeing to accompany his wife to Canterbury, reasons he still hadn't discussed with anyone, even his own wife. She hadn't pried, for which he was thankful, but he could also tell that it bothered her. He just hadn't been ready to talk about it, though he was unsure why. He supposed it had to do with his lingering back-story issues and while it was no secret to anyone in Corona that he'd grown up an orphan, it embarrassed him, which Rapunzel repeatedly told him was silly. But he just couldn't shake it.

Eugene leaned out the window. “Driver?” he said loudly, “Turn here.”

“Yes, sir,” the man replied as he directed the horses in the requested direction.

Eugene kept watching. “Now here,” he directed.

The carriage wound through the streets of Canterbury and while Rapunzel had been watching intently, Eugene noticed her consternated state. “Eugene?” she said at last, “Where are we going?” She seemed more confused than anything.

“To get some closure,” he replied.

*****

“Stop here,” Eugene finally said. The carriage pulled over to the side of the street and out of the flow of traffic. Eugene moved to open the door, then looked over at Rapunzel. “I'll be right back,” he said. “Stay here.” He opened the door and stepped out.

Rapunzel, of course, followed after her husband anyway. She was halfway out the door when she turned to her employees. “Stay here,” she told them before vaulting out to land softly on the cobbles.

She trotted across the street, coming to a stop next to her husband. He looked at her knowingly, but said nothing, returning his gaze to the building in front of them. He was thankful their nondescript traveling attire was unlikely to attract any attention.

“Eugene?” she said after a moment. “Is this...where you grew up?”

He nodded and sighed. “Yes,” he said, “this is my orphanage. Well, it's not _mine_ , mine, but...you know.”

Rapunzel took Eugene's hand, twining her fingers between his. He looked at her and smiled weakly as he squeezed her hand.

“Dearest, I haven't seen you this nervous since Sophia was born. Is this really that big of a deal to you?”

“Yeah...yeah, it is.”

He looked back at the building a moment longer before ascending the steps. He grasped the door and glanced at his wife. She looked back at him with those gorgeous green eyes of hers. That always gave him the confidence he needed to do things he didn't want to do and now was no exception. He pulled it open and the two of them stepped into the foyer.

*****

Eugene looked around the room. He was sure he looked like an owl the way his head was swiveling every which way. The place looked exactly the way it had when he'd left it some twenty years ago. Surely someone had repainted the walls, but it was hard to tell. They lacked any sign of aging, but he didn't know much about how paint aged. While the best person he knew to inquire about that stood at his side, he wasn't in a head-space to ask her.

An elderly man stepped out of a side room. “May I help you?” he asked.

“Um,” havered Eugene. “I'm not sure.”

“That's...not the usual response.”

“You could say that I'm not the usual visitor.”

“How so?”

“I...I used to live here.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Few people ever return. No, on second thought...” The man shook his head slowly. “....no, I don't believe anyone's ever come back once they've left.”

Eugene chuckled. “I'm not surprised. I mean, not that there's anything wrong with this place, or...”

The man smiled. “Don't worry about it, son. People are meant to be with a family. Those who have them don't belong here.”

“I...don't suppose you'd mind if I had a look around, would you?”

The man looked puzzled. “Why?”

“I need...closure.”

The man frowned. “I'm afraid I don't know what you mean.”

Eugene was unsure how to answer. Closure was a concept he'd learned...well, elsewhere...an elsewhere he and Rapunzel had agreed to leave behind them. That agreement had been hard to keep from time to time and now was one of those times.

“Never mind,” said Eugene. “It would...well, you could say it would help me fully accept that part of my past.”

“I see,” said the man dubiously. “I expect you know where everything is.“

Eugene and Rapunzel looked at each other. She gave him her 'I know what you're thinking' smirk and he gave her his 'yes, I know you know what I'm thinking and I'm not going there' smirk.

“I know,” said Rapunzel excitedly, “you can read to the children.”

“I don't know,” said Eugene hesitantly.

“Oh, come on,” she insisted. “They'll love it. _Our_ children do.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Are you sure that's not just because it's me? _Our_ children would love watching me watch paint dry.”

“Nonsense. The children at the Corona orphanage love it, too.”

“Now that you mention it,” said the man, “there was this lad a while back. Used to read to the younger ones and they loved it, too. Name was...” He paused, his brow slightly furrowing in thought. “Eugene,” he said after a moment, “Eugene Fitzherbert, as I recall. Seemed to be the sort to be destined for something. I often wonder what happened to him.”

“See?” said Rapunzel, nudging Eugene in the ribs. “I keep telling you you're memorable.”

The man's eyebrows went up. “Eugene?” He stepped closer and looked Eugene straight in the eyes. Eugene didn't flinch. “Well, bless my soul.” He extended his hand and Eugene shook it. “Strong hands, I see. And who's the lovely lady?”

“This is my wife, Rapunzel,” Eugene said warmly.

She curtsied slightly. “Pleased to meet you...sorry, I don't believe we've been properly introduced.”

“Brother Maynard,” said the man. “Shall I arrange some...shall we say special entertainment for the children?”

Eugene smiled in spite of himself. He still didn't like being volunteered for things, but something told him he'd probably enjoy himself. “Yes,” he said sincerely, “I think we'd all enjoy that very much.”

Brother Maynard shuffled off to make the arrangements.

*****

Rapunzel sat at the back of a small room. She sat with her legs delicately crossed at the ankles, her bare feet tucked slightly behind her, and her hands folded daintily upon her lap. Her perfectly ladylike posture belied the absence of stays, one of two fashion accessories she'd stubbornly avoided—the other being shoes--insisting that she'd gone eighteen years without such and had developed a perfectly good figure anyway and that they'd interfere with her muscle tone development, the latter of which her parents barely understood. Some garments—particularly the fancier ones she wore for special occasions as well as most social calls--were specifically designed with stays in mind, so Rapunzel had tolerated them as the keeping-up-appearances part of her duty as Crown Princess. Fortunately, her traveling attire was devoid of such things, in no small part because Rapunzel had designed it herself.

Eugene sat on a chair with all the children around him, most of them sitting on the floor, a few on chairs or stools and some, mostly the older ones, standing toward the rear of the room and leaning against the wall while trying to maintain an air of disinterest. Rapunzel knew better. Being a mother for fourteen years, and Crown Princess, and having her own unique skill-set made it perfectly obvious.

Mostly she watched Eugene. She often did so when he read to their own children and Rapunzel's younger sister Elsebeth. It was partly for family bonding time. Otherwise, she enjoyed the stories, too. Eugene was reading one from, unsurprisingly, “The Adventures of Flynnagan Rider.” She didn't know if it was because that was the only storybook the orphanage possessed—and she knew such places barely made ends meet as it was—or because Brother Maynard had remembered that particular set of stories from the years Eugene had spent under his care.

“And that,” said Eugene, “is how Flynn vanished under the eyes of the East India Trading Company.”

The children all cheered. “Another! Another!” came a chorus of shouts.

“Alright, one more,” he said, “but then my wife and I have a ship to board down the road and we mustn't be late.”

Rapunzel stood up, suddenly aware of something...urgent. She disliked mentioning certain...necessities...even in private and to her own husband. In public, it was something else entirely. “Um...Eugene? I'll be right back. I have to...you know.”

“Of course,” he said with a knowing nod.

She padded out into the hallway, her bare feet hardly making a sound on the tile floor. She looked this was and that before finally spotting a nun. “Excuse me, sister,” she said, trotting gingerly over to the woman, “do you know where I might find a...er...” She dropped her voice to a barely-audible whisper. “...chamber pot?”

The other woman nodded. “Down the hall, first door before you reach the last door.”

“Thank-you,” said Rapunzel, still a bit embarrassed. She trotted off in that direction, finding the door and the facilities within as promised, and took care of things, as it were.

Instead of returning directly to the room where Eugene was still reading to the children, she decided to wander about the place. It was a passing whim, but sometimes she followed those. She'd found that doing so often led to interesting people or happenings or other sorts of discoveries that she would never have made otherwise. It used to alarm her family when she would simply disappear without warning, particularly that first year following her homecoming. They soon learned that she could take care of herself and that she'd return when she returned. Which she always did and usually with some interesting tidbit of something.

The rest of the building was devoid of children, for they were all down with Eugene. She skillfully managed to avoid being seen. There was a time she would have had no hope of successfully doing so. More than a decade of working with and observing people had taught her how to be evasive in multiple ways, including physically.

She wound up stairs, around corners, always scanning her environment. She didn't think she was looking for anything specific, but she seldom was when she did such things. She wandered past the kitchen, deeply inhaling the scent of...she paused to identify the smells. She detected chicken broth, oregano, leeks, and rosemary. It wasn't complicated, but some of the best dishes she'd eaten were very simple affairs and the skill came from balancing the flavors present more than simply throwing another ingredient into the recipe.

It smelled delicious and her stomach growled a reminder of how long it had been since she'd eaten. It hadn't been that long, really, but when one was a person like Rapunzel, it didn't matter much, for she ate more than anyone she'd ever encountered. Few understood how she managed to eat as much as she did and still remain so slender and lithe. Most thought she had a tapeworm—and she was more than willing to allow that to be a defacto cover story--but she, Eugene, and her parents all knew better and the real reason was the most closely-guarded secret in the realm, perhaps in the whole world.

She calmed herself by force of will and some mental techniques she'd learned from a traveler from Asia before continuing. Soon she found herself near the foyer again. Hearing voices, she paused.

It wasn't that Rapunzel was being nosy. It was part of her job to keep her finger on the pulse of her people, which often meant eavesdropping. She disliked it, but her mother had convinced her that it was often necessary, as people would seldom share with their superiors their true feelings and opinions, even when given a direct Royal order to do so. The conversation coming from around the corner caught her attention dramatically.

“That's...a little unusual,” came a woman's voice. “No, I correct myself. It's _very_ unusual. People tend to be looking for a particular type of child...boy, girl, age range, disposition, that sort of thing. I've honestly never heard of someone looking for a specific child.”

“Oh,” said a man, one who sounded like he could be her parents' age, “he'd be a man by now.”

“Well, then,” said the woman, “I'm afraid I don't understand. If he's grown, there would be but one reason to remain.”

“That would be what?”

“If he had entered the clergy, of course,” responded the first woman, “or been retained on the staff. But to my knowledge, that rarely happens. It's not completely unheard-of, mind you, just rare.”

“I was aware of that,” said the man, “it's just that...” His voice trailed off and Rapunzel could hear him beginning to tear up, but making a valiant effort to hold it back. It was so sad, really.

“I'm sorry,” said the woman, “just why is it that you're looking for your grown son at an orphanage?”

“Do you keep records?” asked the man.

“Well, yes, of course. But...”

“Would those records tell you when he would have arrived?”

“Yes.”

“And when he would have left?”

“Yes...conditionally, but...”

“We're just looking for answers,” continued the man, “and clues.”

“You're...tracking him?”

“Yes.”

There was a pause and Rapunzel sensed that the woman was growing suspicious. Rapunzel wasn't sure why, for she couldn't imagine what nefarious purpose anyone would have with an orphaned child...former child. “What was his name?” The woman apparently decided to suspend her suspicions a little longer.

“Eugene,” said the man, “Eugene Fitzherbert.”

Rapunzel gasped. He couldn't possible mean _her_ Eugene...could he? How many Eugene Fitzherberts could there have been at the same orphanage? Come to think of it, the man's voice did sound an awful lot like Eugene's. Surely that wasn't just another coincidence.

“He would have been here...” He paused, possibly thinking. “...some forty years ago.”

“I'll go look,” said the woman, “but it may take some time.”

“I'll wait,” said the man.

Rapunzel quickly did the math in her head. That would have been the right time-frame. She decided to risk following the new lead, praying that her wanderings might once again bear some fruit. She breathed in, held it, then slowly let it out. Her heart pounded in her chest and she mentally centered herself, forcing its rhythm to retreat before venturing from her hiding place.

She sauntered nonchalantly around the corner, striking a balance in her demeanor between reservation and calm assuredness. “Excuse me,” she said, as she walked up to the man, whose back was still toward her, “I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear and I _might_ be able to help.”

The man turned around and Rapunzel gasped again. She examined his face, which didn't take long, as all the familiar features were quite obvious.

The man blinked at her. “At this point, I think I'll take anything.”

“Um...wait here,” said Rapunzel. “I'll be right back.”

“Well...” havered the man, “the good sister might be back with that information soon and my family and I have a boat to catch.”

“So do I,” said Rapunzel, “and I'm pretty sure I have something far better than information.”

The man eyed her uncertainly. “What, precisely, do you have that would have to do with my son?”

Rapunzel smiled broadly. “Trust me. You want to wait here and see for yourself.”

“I don't know,” havered the man.

“Please?” said Rapunzel. “I promise you won't regret it.”

He sighed, then nodded, and Rapunzel scurried off in the direction of the room in which Eugene was still reading stories to the children.

*****

“And that,” said Eugene, “was how Flynn Rider slew the hydra.”

The children cheered. “Another! Another!”

Eugene smiled. He really did like reading to children. He always had, ever since he was one himself, and especially now that he had his own. “Well,” he said, “my wife and I really should be on our way.”

The children made a variety of discouraging sounds.

“But I _could_ be persuaded,” he continued as he moved to re-open the book. Just then, Rapunzel burst into the room. Perhaps 'burst' was not quite the right word. He almost hadn't noticed that she'd been gone as long as she had, but he'd been too busy to think much of it. The expression on her face told him that she'd discovered something of earth-shattering importance.

“Eugene,” she said, a note of urgency in her voice, “would you please come with me? It's important.”

“I _was_ about to begin another story,” he replied.

“It's _very_ important,” she insisted. “Trust me, you _want_ to come with me and you want to come with me _now_.”

Eugene knew that tone. There was something else in it, though—an urgency he rarely heard. “I'm sorry, children,” he said, genuinely disappointed, “I'm afraid I won't be reading you that story after all.” At the disappointed sounds, he added, “It's one of those grown-up things. You'll understand when you're older. Believe me when I tell you that it's not always a lot of fun and you don't always get to do what you want.”

He stood up and handed the book back to Brother Maynard. “It's been a pleasure,” said Eugene, and meant it. “Really. This brought back some good memories.”

The cleric extended his hand and Eugene took it. “Thank-you, Eugene. It's been a pleasure for us as well.”

“No, thank _you_. The pleasure was all mine.” The two men released and Eugene patted several of the children on their heads on his way to the door to meet his wife.

She was almost vibrating. Whatever it was she wanted to show him, she was _very_ excited about it. In fact, it seemed to Eugene that it had been some time since she'd been that excited about anything. Granted, she was easily excitable, which was one of the things he loved about her. At the moment, she displayed a level of such that he'd not seen since...well, he wasn't sure when. She seemed about to explode over it, though...metaphorically, of course.

She grabbed him by the hand and nearly tugged him off his feet as she pulled him in the direction of the foyer. “Come with me, Eugene,” she said insistently.

“What is it?” he asked as he followed her down the corridor.

“You'll see.”

Shortly before they emerged into foyer, Rapunzel softly said, “Oh, I hope he waited.”

“Who?”

Rapunzel didn't reply.

Even before they emerged into the foyer, Eugene could hear voices belonging to a man and a woman.

“I'm sorry,” said the woman, “I'm afraid he left here in April of fifteen ninety-three.”

“Do you know where he might have gone?” asked the man.

“I'm afraid not,” replied the woman. “Our records aren't usually that specific. If we know who adopted a child, or whether they went to a particular town or apprenticeship or some-such, we record that, but as far as we know, he simply left.”

“What chance would a fifteen-year-old...” the man said. Eugene was sure he heard tears in that voice.

Then he and Rapunzel emerged into the room, his wife doing her best to keep composed, which he could tell was seriously straining her willpower. They came to a skidding stop behind the two figures and Eugene saw out of the corner of her eye his wife's attempt to settle herself, though he didn't think she was being entirely successful. That wouldn't have been at all unusual for her back when they'd first met, or for the first three years of their marriage. As she'd come into her own as Crown Princess, and developed more and more confidence in who and what she was, she'd gained more and more control over her composure to the point that the last couple of years, one could hardly tell she'd spent most of her first two decades completely unaware of that identity.

“Oh, good,” blurted Rapunzel, “you waited!”

“Oh,” said the woman, a nun, “you must be the young man who's been reading to the children.”

The man, whose back had been to Eugene and Rapunzel, turned around to face them. Eugene didn't immediately recognize him, but he seemed somehow familiar. After a moment, something struck him. The man looked a lot like Eugene himself. In fact, it was almost as though he were looking at himself in the mirror, but in another twenty years. Eugene blinked, unsure what to think about that.

“Eugene?” said Rapunzel, clearly expecting some sort of response from him. When none was forthcoming, she continued. “Don't you know who this is?”

Eugene looked from the man to Rapunzel, and back again.

Rapunzel sighed in exasperation. “Eugene, this is your father!” she exclaimed.

Eugene looked back at Rapunzel. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I'm sure!” she said, gesticulating wildly. Then she calmed a little and exhaled sharply. “Dearest, he looks just like you. Or you look just like him...or you look like each other. And you sound alike. And he came here looking for you _by name_. There's more.” At his raised eyebrow, she continued. “Remember how I helped solve those impostor cases last year?”

Eugene nodded.

“Yes, that.” She looked into his eyes. “There's too much in common for this to be coincidence. Trust me.”

Eugene looked back at the elder stranger. His heart told him his wife was right. He found it exciting and terrifying at the same time.

“Son?” said the man. “Is it really you?”

His eyes seemed to be welling up with tears and Eugene felt them welling up in his own as well. He nodded. “If Rapunzel's that convinced...then I am, too.”

The man threw his arms around him and he instinctively hugged back. He was starting to understand how Rapunzel must have been feeling the day he'd brought her home. He felt both happy and sad at the same time. After a few minutes, he pulled back from the embrace and sighed heavily.

“What's wrong, son?” said Eugene's father.

“I thought you were dead,” replied Eugene.

“So did your mother...thought _you_ were dead, I mean.”

Eugene put a finger up to his neck paused, and then shook his head. Both men chuckled. “We have to leave again,” said Eugene, quite unsure how to put it otherwise.

His father seemed stricken. “So soon?”

“Yah. We have to go meet our ship at Ramsgate and it sails with the tide. That, and I promised our son I'd be home in time for his birthday and we'll be pushing that as it is.”

The elder man smiled sadly. “Your mother and I would have liked very much to meet him,” he said, a tear once again rising to his eye.

“You know,” said Rapunzel pensively, “we might have time to read a couple more stories to the children.”

Eugene's father looked at his son.

“You should see him,” continued Rapunzel, “it's adorable.”

Eugene rolled his eyes, but acquiesced. The three of them strolled off down the hall.

*****

They found one of the older children reading to the rest, just finishing another of the stories of Flynn Rider. Brother Maynard looked up as Eugene and company stepped into the doorway.

“I believe we've decided we may have time for another story or two after all,” said Eugene. “That is,” he added to Brother Maynard, “if you don't mind?”

“No, not at all,” said Maynard.

There were cheers from the children as Eugene strolled toward the front of the room while his father and Rapunzel sat down at the back of the room.

“I'm going to tell you all a different story,” began Eugene, “a story of someone who pretended to be Flynn Rider, an impostor.”

A few of the children booed and Eugene smiled.

“This is the story of how I died. No, don't worry, it's actually a rather fun story and the truth is...it really isn't even about me. It's about a girl named Rapunzel....”

*****

Rapunzel, Eugene and his father stood in the foyer. Eugene had mixed feelings as he clasped the elder's hand.

“I wish we could stay longer,” said Eugene, “I really do.”

“I understand, son,” said his father. “You have responsibilities. I'm just happy you're alive. Your mother will be, too.”

“There's...something else, isn't there?” said Rapunzel, sensing something beyond just the sadness at having to let his son go again so soon.

“Well...” began Eugene's father. “It's nothing,” he said dismissively, changing his mind.

“Are you sure?” said Rapunzel, gently pressing him. “You seem...tense...more than I'd expect you to be under the circumstances.”

Eugene's father looked at Rapunzel and then back at Eugene. He sighed. “It's...a money thing. We...spent everything looking for you. Your mother thought I was foolish, but I wouldn't give up. I think she still wanted to believe you hadn't died, but was afraid to have any hope of it for fear of that hope being crushed. It's been wearing on her, though. There are just some things a man can tell about his wife. Anyway, we can pay our lodging for another day or two, but after that? I don't know what we'll do, but it's all been worth it seeing you again.”

Rapunzel frowned pensively, then her face abruptly lit up. “Eugene!” she squealed, grabbing his arm. “Let's take them with us!”

Eugene's eyebrows went up. “Can we do that?”

“Of course we can!” She looked at Eugene's father. “You have to start all over again anyway, so why not do it in Corona? You can even stay with us for a while.”

Eugene's expression changed to one of concern. “Are you sure your parents won't mind?”

“It'll be easier to obtain forgiveness than permission,” said Rapunzel. “Besides, I'll just bat my eyelashes at Daddy and he'll fold like a piece of limp parchment. He always does.” She smiled, then looked at Eugene's father. “What do you think?” she asked enthusiastically.

“I don't know,” said the elder man.

“What do you mean?” said Rapunzel. “We can find things for you to do...you don't have to say good-bye to Eugene...you can get to know our children. It's the clear choice. Say you'll come...please?” She shot him that earnest look that was so difficult to refuse.

As Eugene expected, he folded. “We'll do it,” said Eugene's father.

“Oh, good!” exclaimed Rapunzel. “You won't regret it.”

“But,” said the father, “the rest of the family are either back at the inn, or elsewhere in town. I don't know if we can leave right away.”

“We'll go to Ramsgate and wait for you,” said Eugene.

“Don't wait too long,” said his father. “If you have to sail, you have to sail. A man must do what a man must do.”

“We'll be the only ship flying the flag of Corona.”

“I'm not sure we're familiar with it,” said his mother.

“Purpure, a sun Or,” said Eugene. At his father's frown, he translated from blazon, “purple with a gold sun.”


	2. Chapter 2

Eugene and Rapunzel stood side-by-side at the railing of the HMS _Maximus_ , flagship of the Coronan Royal Navy. A full-rigged ship-of-the-line, it was the most advanced vessel in the world. Eugene had designed her himself. She was essentially a galleon, with a few revisions about which Eugene was technically not supposed to know and the sources of which he kept strictly classified. He was the first to introduce the mizzen topsail, which replaced the lateen sails for which standard galleon design called. He'd also made some modifications to the hull shape based on cutters and other vessels he'd seen on the Columbia River during his and Rapunzel's honeymoon. Only four people in the world—himself, Rapunzel, and her parents--knew why, when, and how he'd been there and all had vowed to take that information to their graves. He'd elongated the bow profile into a modified V and reinforced the hull in that area with steel plating and incorporated twin bilge keels along most of the hull length. Most of the shipwrights in Corona insisted on calling her a frigate, though a few called her “neither fish, nor fowl, nor good red meat” when they thought they were out of Eugene's hearing.

The _Maximus_ was also equipped with several small-caliber, rifled-barreled cannon and breech-loading deck guns, all of which were likewise ahead of their time.

The tide was near turning and Eugene's family still hadn't shown.

“Are you sure they'll come?” said Eugene, audible tension in his voice.

“Yes,” said Rapunzel. “But they're cutting things a bit close.”

The ship's First Officer walked up behind them. “Sir!” he saluted.

“Yes, Commander?” said Eugene, turning around and returning the salute.

“Sir, the tide will be turning soon.”

“Where's the Captain?”

“He's sick, Sir.”

“Again?” said Rapunzel irritably.

Eugene looked at his wife. “Remind me again why we assigned as captain someone who gets seasick?”

Rapunzel shrugged. “I don't remember.”

Eugene rolled his eyes. “I swear, that man would get seasick in a bathtub.” Eugene turned back toward the wharf, then wrested his attention around to the Commander and sighed heavily. “Ready to get under way. Prepare to cast off.”

“Sir!” The Commander turned and stalked off, barking orders.

Rapunzel saw the look of sadness on Eugene's face. “They'll be here,” she assured him.

“I hope you're right.” Then he added, “Remind me to make some changes to the personnel rosters.”

“Make some changes to the personnel rosters.”

Eugene rolled his eyes. “I _meant_ after we return home, you goof.”

“I knew that,” she replied, a twinkle in her eye. Eugene leaned down and kissed her.

Eugene watched as men began to loosen a few of the many ropes that secured the ship to the pier and sighed again. Another sound caught his attention and he stood bolt upright, trying to follow it with his eyes. The buildings along the wharf made it difficult to pinpoint the source of the sound, but it was clearly a set of wheels on cobbles, traveling quite rapidly, recklessly so.

“Do you hear that?” said Eugene.

Rapunzel cocked her head. “Yes.” Then she closed her eyes and a moment later pointed. “That way,” she said, eyes still closed. “Axles grinding...a lot of friction heat...heavy load for the size wagon...two horses...one's having heart trouble.”

“You're amazing,” said Eugene. He was well used to her doing that sort of thing, but it still impressed him.

Moments later, a small wagon hurtled out of a side street down the wharf. It turned so sharply that the wagon listed dangerously, then crashed back down on its opposite wheels hard enough that Eugene winced. Even at that distance, he could tell the horses were blown and he wouldn't be surprised if one or both of them were to drop dead at any moment. Presently, the wagon pulled up alongside the ship and came to an abrupt halt, the horses lathered and breathing heavily.

Without warning, Rapunzel vaulted over the railing. She executed a rolling landing on the dock, somersaulted once, then bounced to her feet. Eugene had never managed to discern how she did that in skirts and every time he'd asked her, she'd simply grinned mischievously at him. Without missing a stride, she sprinted over to the horses.

She looked at the poor animals, then turned angrily to the driver. “What do you...” she began, then stopped mid-sentence as she noticed the wagon's occupants. “Oh.”

Eugene charged down the gangway, skillfully maintaining his footing, even as he landed on the damp cobbles adjacent to the wooden dock-work. He stopped sharply a yard from the wagon and looked up. “You made it!” he exclaimed.

“We're glad,” said Rapunzel, working to keep the irritation from her voice, “but you nearly killed a perfectly good pair of horses.” Eugene could tell his wife was genuinely concerned for the animals and more upset with the driver than with Eugene's family. She'd been that way as long as he'd known her, despite the several months of their honeymoon she'd spent eating the wildlife raw and despite retaining a taste for what she still insisted on calling sushi irregardless of that almost no one in the Palace knew why she called it that.

She glared at the driver. “You're going to rest them, now, aren't you?” She said it as more of a command.

“I still must...” began the driver.

“You must do nothing!” snapped Rapunzel. “You will rest these horses and you will do it now. I will watch you and if I see you do otherwise while still within my sight, I will personally swim back over here and bludgeon you like a harp seal. Do I make myself clear?”

Eugene was glad not to be on the receiving end of that. He knew from personal experience how unpleasant it was. Letting his wife do her thing, he helped his family out of the wagon. They weren't carrying much in the way of belongings. The clothes they wore had seen better days and Eugene could tell they'd paid very good money for them some time ago.

Once they were all out, he escorted them to the gangway while Rapunzel continued her verbal assault on the driver. “Um...go on up,” he said to them, “I'll join you shortly.”

He turned and walked over to Rapunzel and stood next to her with his thumbs tucked into his belt.

“That's better,” she said bluntly to the driver. Then she glanced over at Eugene and her demeanor changed abruptly. “Yes, dearest?” she asked.

“I think we're nearly ready,” he said, indicating the ship behind them.

Rapunzel nodded, then turned to follow her husband. The two of them trotted up the gangplank just as the last of Eugene's family made the deck.

“Um...Sir?” asked the Bosun as soon as Eugene had stepped onto the deck. “Who are these people?”

“They're my family,” he replied, “and they're coming with us.”

“I...er...this is highly irregular, sir.”

“Yes, it is. It's a very last-minute thing. Commander!” he raised his voice. “Cast off!”

“Cast off, aye!” replied the First Mate. The man began barking orders as other sailors freed the remaining ropes.

“Where are we going to put them, sir?” continued the Bosun.

“They'll be with my wife and myself,” said Eugene. “You see to your duties while we get them settled.”

The Bosun saluted and trotted off.

Eugene walked to his family, who stood huddled uncertainly in the middle of the deck. “If you'd all follow me, I'll show you to our quarters.” He led them to the stern of the ship, down a set of stairs and through a door.

Eugene's brother let out a low whistle. “Wow,” he said, “how do _you_ rate to get quarters like this?”

Eugene was struck by how much his brother seemed to be like himself. He supposed he might have expected that. Rapunzel's sister was turning out to be a lot like her, his daughter Sophia was so much like her mother it was eerie and the two of them were already a holy terror together, their twins Johann and Thorin were hard to tell apart, and little Agatha was either her own girl or more like Rapunzel's father. Still, he would have to be careful. He knew himself enough to know that his own faults were likely to belong to his brother as well.

Eugene shrugged. “I'm Chief of Security to His Majesty the King.”

His family blinked at him. “You really _have_ done well for yourself,” said Eugene's father.

Eugene smiled. The older man really had no idea and Eugene wasn't sure how to tell them that he'd also married the Crown Princess. That seemed like it might be a bit much for them right now. “You know,” he said instead, “it just occurs to me that you're all my family, yet I have no idea who any of you are. Perhaps we should, I don't know, introduce each other?”

Everyone blinked at everyone else.

“Well,” said Eugene's father, “I think we all know who _you_ are, but...” He went about with the introductions. The elder woman was Eugene's mother Catherine. Eugene's brother was John, his wife Mary and children Jane and Thomas. Another woman a little younger than John was Eugene's sister Margaret, whose husband had died some years before leaving Margaret alone with their daughter Isabel. They had all come to financial misfortune, much of it as a result of their years-long search for Eugene, and were quite apprehensive about the future. Eugene introduced Rapunzel, still omitting her royal identity, and everyone seemed both delighted to meet her and eager to meet her and Eugene's children.

“Why don't you all make yourselves comfortable,” said Rapunzel after all that had been settled, “while I go see about food?”

“Um, honey?” said Eugene. “I don't think the galley's open. We secure it while in port and we're not quite underway yet.”

Rapunzel paused, feeling for the motion of the ship. “I think we're close enough,” she said. “Besides, it'll take them a while, what with all of us here and I think it would be good manners to give them a head start. It would be impolite and infeasible to ask them to do an hour's worth of work in twenty minutes...” She furrowed her brow. “...which is what would happen if I wait until I'm hungry...er.”

Eugene shrugged. “Fair enough,” he said.

She turned and walked through the door, shutting it behind her. Eugene helped his family get situated. That thought seemed as strange now as it did right after he'd married Rapunzel. The people in the cabin with him were complete strangers, even though they were his own family, which was even stranger to the Prince of Corona. He reminded himself that his own wife had once been a complete stranger too, and that as he got to know them, the strangeness would eventually fade. For now, it was time to begin that process.

He offered the two chairs and the bed to those who needed them. The rest, including himself, sat on the floor. “Well,” he began, “I guess we have a lot of catching up to do...nearly forty years of it.” Had it really been that long? The years seemed to have been kind enough to his parents. They didn't _look_ like they were nearing sixty. Then again, he himself still looked like he was in his twenties. For all he knew, youthfulness ran in his family. “Where do we begin?”

“Why not at the beginning?” said Catherine. “What's the first thing you remember?”

Eugene frowned. “Well...I remember being wet...very wet...and cold....” He continued with the account of his life. He'd been found adrift offshore just west of Southampton. He'd been moved from one orphanage to another. One had closed for lack of funding. Another had folded when its superintendent had died and no one had come available to replace him. Yet another had burned to the ground. Each time he'd started to make friends, something like that had happened to sever those bonds. It was no wonder he'd adopted the Flynn Rider persona, for his own hadn't really been that stable and he was ever so glad that his own children had what he never did.

He told them of how he'd left the orphanage when he was fifteen. He would otherwise have been a bit young, but he'd been growing restless being within the same walls and depressed at never being adopted. He'd come to terms with his parents dying...or so he'd thought and now the evidence to the contrary sat before him. He felt himself start to glow and immediately derailed it with thoughts about cadet reviews and cast-iron requisition forms. He certainly wasn't ready to explain _that_ to them yet...if ever. Besides, it was classified.

He told them of how he'd immediately gone by the name Flynn Rider. He'd been twenty-two when he'd met Rapunzel and had begun to lose track of who Eugene Fitzherbert was. In fact, he'd really begun to identify with Flynn when he was twelve. At first, he'd started thieving just to feed himself and found that he was good at it, particularly at stealth. He'd been caught once and been given an ultimatum. He could either do retrieval work, or be turned over to the authorities. Eugene chose the former. To ensure Eugene's cooperation, his new boss sent a companion with him whose job was to make sure Eugene didn't simply vanish.

His first jobs involved retrieving unclaimed properties of a valuable nature. They had almost always involved sneaking into regions which were generally unfriendly to the client. He'd often be after certain historical artifacts. He'd always been assured they didn't belong to anyone, but he was sometimes skeptical. A couple of times, he'd had to remove something from under lock and key. Those jobs had taken him all over Europe. His contract had ended when his boss had been assassinated and Eugene himself had fled for his life.

That flight had landed him in Calais on the French coast and from there, he'd followed odd jobs eastward. One such job had involved stealing the Crown Jewels of Corona. At the time, he'd barely heard of the place. His client had offered to pay quite handsomely—so handsomely in fact, that Eugene could have bought a small island in the Caribbean or the East Indies.

His nephew interjected, saying he should have gone with it. Eugene laughed and continued with the story.

He never found out just why the Archduke had been set on stealing the jewels, nor why he'd offered to pay so well for them. Eugene hadn't asked--a man in his position couldn't have afforded that. He'd long ago learned not to ask questions the answers to which he didn't wish to know, for such answers were invariably dangerous. He hadn't even been completely sure he'd been stealing the right jewelry. There had always been something nagging at the back of his mind, though. At the time, he'd silenced his conscience with an extra show of bravado, which had also been necessary in order to work with the Stabbington brothers.

He was about to continue with his story when Rapunzel returned, two scullery maids in tow. All three of them were carrying trays full of food and the maids appeared a little unsettled. Eugene knew why—Rapunzel had insisted on helping, as usual, much to everyone's dismay. Rather than trying to lecture her on the propriety of such things, which everyone by now knew would be absolutely futile, they simply gave the correct answer: “Yes, your Royal Highness.” Few bothered to even say that much anymore—they simply smiled, nodded, and stayed out of her way. Eugene was quite certain she'd be downright unstoppable when she became Queen, may that day be very far away.

The three of them placed their platters on the table and the maids retreated wordlessly. Eugene helped with the serving. There weren't enough plates for everyone, so they'd all have to share. He insisted that the ladies should eat first, then children, then the men. No one argued.

When everyone had eaten, Eugene asked for his family to tell their own stories. After a couple of hours, night had fallen and everyone was tired. Rapunzel returned the trays to the scullery and returned with what few extra blankets there were to be had aboard. A North Sea crossing was bound to be cold...it always was, and ships weren't insulated. Fortunately, there was enough collective body heat to warm the cabin, even without Rapunzel's elevated metabolism.

*****

The Fitzherbert family huddled in the Captain's cabin. The ship rose and fell on the gathering swells. Half of Eugene's family was seasick. Most were holding it well, but Margaret and Thomas had each thrown up twice since midday. Now the light was failing and the storm was growing worse. Night was the absolute worst time to be caught in foul weather.

Eugene felt himself pushed down against the decking as the ship rose up one great swell, then nearly lifted off of it as the vessel fell off the wave's crest. As the hours passed, the effect intensified as the storm built. As darkness fell, the ship shuddered each time it bottomed out and each time, water sloshed against the cabin door bulkhead, some of it gushing around the edges. Eugene made a mental note to address that design flaw. His family helped bail water out one of the windows which were opened intermittently for that purpose. After a while, a knock sounded on the door. Eugene opened it.

A man stood there, wet to the bone and shivering violently. “Sir,” he said, “we're taking on water.”

“I noticed,” said Eugene.

“Faster than the bilge pumps can work,” he said. “We must lighten the ship.”

“No,” said Rapunzel.

“But...”

“I said, 'no,'” she insisted. “We can't afford to throw away our cargo.”

“Then we all drown.”

Rapunzel frowned pensively, then her face rose. “I have an idea,” she said to the man. “Get everyone off the deck and down below.” The man didn't move. “Now!” she barked. He turned away and Rapunzel shut the door just as another wave hit. Then she turned to Eugene. “Do you remember what I did at Glenn Pass?”

At first he frowned, then his eyebrows shot up. “You're not serious.”

“The best way to solve the water problem at this point is to keep it out. Do you have a better idea?”

“No, not really.”

“Good. Then I need you at the helm. I'll be right next to you.” She turned to Eugene's family. “I need you all to stay in here. Do _not_ come out until either Eugene or I say so.”

“Why?” asked George.

“Have you ever been in a North Sea storm?” said Rapunzel.

“Once.”

“That's why.” She stepped over to the table and grabbed the quarter-pound lump of butter left over from dinner. “I'm going to need this,” she said in answer to the unasked questions before quickly devouring it. At that, she and Eugene ducked out into the storm.

They clawed their way up to the quarterdeck where the helmsman was fighting the wheel.

Eugene grabbed it. “I'll take it from here,” he yelled over the wind. “Get below.”

The man didn't have to be told twice and Eugene soon knew why the man had been struggling. He could feel the effect that the water was having on the way Maximus was handling. “Whatever you're going to do, honey...” he said.

Rapunzel grabbed the rail as the ship crested a wave and began its downward slide. A spot of fire appeared a few yards off the jibboom. It quickly flared outward in all directions, its lower edge dropping out of sight below the focsle, the upper edge reaching nearly to the top of the foremast, and the outer edges wrapping around to port and starboard to flare out amidships, resolving into an irregular half-dome of fire.

“I never tire of seeing you action, my love,” yelled Eugene.

“Exhilarating, isn't it?” she called back.

The ship hit bottom, plowing into the wave trough. Hideous screeching and hissing noises rose above the wind as tens of thousands of gallons of seawater vaporized nearly at once. The ship plowed further into the wave than it would have otherwise and water poured around the edge of the shield, nearly sweeping Eugene and Rapunzel off the deck.

Rather than bobbing up to the next crest, the ship dug through it like a plow through farmland. Water washed over the gunnels as the bow pierced the wave, half the hull hanging in mid-air for a moment. Rapunzel drew the fire backward and upward until the entire vessel was sailing beneath a flickering dome of red and yellow.

The screeching sounds were louder than before and the flame dimmed to a dull red. Rapunzel pushed hard and the fire flared up, brightening into a seething surface as though one had peeled the surfaces off a blacksmith's coals and plastered them onto the air around the ship. The noise of boiling water rose as Rapunzel poured energy into the dome.

The rise-and-fall rhythm of the vessel changed noticeably. The vaporization of water altered the ship's buoyancy, causing it to bore through the waves more than riding over them.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, honey?” called Eugene. “She wasn't designed for this!”

“She wasn't designed to sink, either,” she countered.

He had to concede. “I have no idea where I'm going, either, though.”

“Follow the wind. Feel for the swells.”

“That's easy for you to say...you can feel it!”

“So can you...you just have to do it the normal way.”

“The normal way?”

“Well, how do you do it at night?” When he didn't answer, she continued. “The dimmest parts of the shield are the source of the prevailing wind and the brunt of the waves. Those two things suck the most heat. Steer by that.”

 _Great_ , thought Eugene. It wouldn't be the first time he'd trusted her blindly...quite literally. At least it was warmer, though he was also concerned she might set the rigging on fire. He supposed he'd have to trust her to have enough control to avoid it. Damn, what a woman!

*****

George Fitzherbert sat on the floor of the Captain's cabin. He was trying to keep his family calm, a battle he felt he was rapidly losing.

“We're sinking,” said Catherine, “I just know it.”

“Peace, woman,” said George, “if we were sinking, we'd be drowning by now.”

“Do you feel that, though?” asked John. “We're not moving like we were before. There's a lot less up-and-down. We're lumbering...just like we would be if we were full of water.”

“And yet,” said Mary, “there's no screaming out on deck.”

“And what's all that light out there?” asked Jane.

“It's fire,” said Thomas. “We're being dragged down to hell.”

“Liar!” said Jane.

“Children,” said Mary, “that's enough.”

“Then what _is_ happening out there?” asked Margaret.

“I wanna see,” said Isabell.

“No, honey,” said Margaret. “Your...aunt...said we should stay here.”

“Because of a storm?” said John.

“Son,” said George, “if you'd ever been through one of these you'd have absolutely no desire to go out in one.”

“There's more than just a storm happening out there, father. I can feel it.”

“Be that as it may...” George stopped as John stood up. “Oh, no you don't.”

“They're hiding something.”

George stood up, too. “I don't care. We can ask them about that later, but you're not going out there.”

“Why not? You think I'll be swept off the deck?”

“Yes! I've lost two sons, a daughter, and a son-in-law. I was blessed to get one of them back and...and I'm not at all sure that one will stay put. Don't ask me to go through it again. Do not.” After a beat, he added, “And don't ask your wife to endure that, either. Because that's exactly what you'll be doing if you walk through this door.”

“Yet my brother and sister-in-law went out there,” John countered.

“He's the Captain...”

“Acting Captain,” corrected John.

“Don't talk back to me. And she's...well, his wife...and we're his guests.” George still had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that John had a point. A few things didn't quite add up. For one, he really was quite worried about Eugene...no, he was terrified for him and didn't think he, or his wife particularly could stand to lose him a second time. For another, where was Glenn Pass, what had happened there, and why was it relevant to surviving a storm? Finally, “Alright, I'll do it.”

“George, no,” said Catherine.

George turned, opened the door and stepped out onto the deck. The shimmering, yellow-orange dome of Rapunzel's fire shield hung overhead. It reminded him a little of the aurora borealis, but much closer, more tangible, and radiating heat like a blast furnace. A continual, angry hissing sound came from it, punctuated by louder hissing shrieks. He stood there for a moment just staring at it before tearing himself away, darting back inside and shutting the door.

He leaned heavily against it, his eyes wide. “Sweet Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!” he exclaimed, crossing himself.

“What?” said John. “What did you see?”

George looked at his grandson. “Thomas, lad, I fear you may be right.”

“What?!” exclaimed Mary.

“There was...fire,” said George, “a lot of it.”

“George, dear,” said Catherine, “maybe you should come sit down.” She patted the bed next to her. George complied. They all sat there nearly motionless, staring at nothing in particular, barely aware of the hours that passed. They didn't notice the gradual settling of the ship's motion and the fading of the orange light outside the window.

At last, the door opened and Eugene entered the room, one arm supporting an exhausted Rapunzel. Everyone stared at them.

“Good news, everyone! The storm's lifting, we bought the crew enough time to pump all the water out of the bilges, everything's under control, and the navigator thinks we might even be a little ahead of schedule, though he won't know for sure until the sky clears, which might not happen until dawn,” he said as he helped his wife to the table across the room.

“Oh, don't worry about her,” he continued as Rapunzel grabbed a chunk of the hearty whole-wheat-and-buckwheat bread and a round of summer sausage, “she'll be alright as soon as she gets something to eat.” He helped her over to the bed and lowered her onto it. He retrieved some water from the table and helped her drink. After a few minutes, she nodded her head. He kissed her on the forehead and turned to his family, who were still staring at him.

“What?” asked Eugene, noticing his family's sudden dejection.

“We're going to hell!” wailed Thomas.

“I beg your pardon?” said Eugene.

Rapunzel swallowed her bite of sausage and scowled. “You looked,” she said flatly, “after we specifically told you _not_ to.”

“But what... _was_ that?” said George.

Eugene peered at his father for a moment before answering. “It's classified,” he said.

“Classified? What do you mean, classified?”

“It means I'm not allowed to talk about it. You don't have enough security clearance.”

“But,” said Catherine, “we're your family.”

“Yes,” said Eugene, “yes, you are. But you're also still complete strangers to me...which is why you don't have clearance.”

“Aren't you Royal Security Chief?” said John. “Can't you _give_ us clearance?”

“What you saw is related to the most closely-guarded secret in the Realm...possibly in the world. It's classified Level-Omega. I'm not authorized to grant clearance that high. Only the King may do that.”

“Please?” said Isabell.

“Isabell, dear,” said Rapunzel, “if you and your parents and grandparents knew what that was, you'd understand why it's such a secret.”

“Look,” said Eugene, “it's not easy keeping classified information. When we reach Corona, I'll talk to the King. That's the best I can do.”

Rapunzel stood up and walked over to Eugene. “Dearest? Would you join me outside for a moment?”

Eugene nodded and the two of them stepped through the door, closing it behind them.

“I appreciate what you're doing, dearest,” she said, “but if they're going to live with us...they're going to have to know about me sooner or later.”

“Are you suggesting I break the rules? Your father won't kill me, but he _can_ do everything short of that. In fact, he'd be obligated and we both know it.”

“Of course not. But what's going to happen when one of them tries to imitate Sophia's penchant for grabbing eggs right out of the boiler? Or when Johann and Thorin reach into the glass furnace...again. Or when little Agatha wants to hand one of them a hot coal from a fire? We watch them like hawks, but they _still_ do things like that. Clearance or no, if your family lives in the Palace...or even if they don't...they WILL eventually find out about me...us.”

“But...”

“Eugene, please don't argue. We're going to have to tell them, but we'll do it in a more controlled situation.”

Eugene cocked an eyebrow. “Home is controlled?”

“Uh...well...no, not exactly, but we shouldn't tell them here.”

“I'd still feel better discussing it with your parents first.”

“Oh, by all means.”

They walked back into their cabin to several sets of expectant eyes.

“Alright,” said Eugene, “we'll give you an official 'maybe.' We'll probably grant you clearance, but we'll have to discuss it with Their Majesties first. Is that agreeable to everyone?” Even if it wasn't, that was his final offer.

Everyone nodded. “Alright, son,” said George, “I think we can live with that.”

“Thank-you,” said Eugene. “Now, if you don't mind, I think we all could use some sleep. It was a long night.”

There were no arguments and before long, everyone was fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had crested the eastern horizon an hour before. Eugene and Rapunzel stood at the starboard rail of the HMS _Maximus_ drinking in the morning sunlight.

“I sure do enjoy this,” he said. “Have I ever thanked you for turning me into a morning person?”

“Yes,” she replied, “I believe you have.”

They were still an hour from the Coronan capital, though the crew had yet to emerge. Eugene sighed. “It would seem I need to go boot some head,” he said, a note of irritation in his voice. He leaned down and kissed his wife. “Looks like I still have some work to do in the discipline department. I'll be back in a minute.”

He trotted off and disappeared below deck. Presently, Rapunzel heard him bellow, “Revile! Revile! All hands rise up and heave out! The smoking lamp would be lit in all authorized sections if we were to allow such nonsense! Now revile!” Rapunzel giggled. She never tired of hearing her husband's unusual interpretations of the standard cries, both at sea and on land.

After a few moments, Eugene emerged and rejoined his wife. “Well,” he said, “they're up!”

Rapunzel chortled. “Where _do_ you come up with that stuff?”

He shrugged. “I have no idea.”

The two gazed into each other's eyes. After a moment, Rapunzel gave Eugene the 'you're glowing' eye-brow bump and he rolled his eyes, chuckling softly. He put an arm around her waist and together they watched their home slowly approach.

After a while, Eugene's family began to emerge from their cabin. One by one, they walked over to join Eugene and Rapunzel at the rail.

At first, no one spoke. “It's...beautiful!” said Catherine at last.

“Wait until you see it up close,” said Eugene.

The ship glided inexorably closer to shore and they could eventually make out people gathered on the docks. Eugene's family time was interrupted.

“Sir!” said a man behind him.

He turned. “Yes, Lieutenant?”

“Sir, the Commander is sick.”

Eugene rolled his eyes and looked at his wife. “No rest for the wicked.”

“I guess not,” she replied.

“If you'll all excuse me,” said Eugene to his family. “All hands!” he barked as he strode away from the rail. “Strike staysails and topgallants! Prepare to take in topsails! Crosshaul the mizzenbrace!”

After a moment, Catherine looked at Rapunzel while her son continued across the deck spouting orders. “I'm so proud,” she said, a tear coming to her eye.

George put an arm around his wife's waist. “He's certainly grown up strong,” he said.

After some time, Eugene returned. “I think things are in-hand,” he said.

John looked at him. “Are people usually this happy to see you?” he asked incredulously, indicating the growing crowd on the docks.

“And are those the king and queen?” asked Mary.

“Yes,” said Eugene.

Margaret looked startled. “The...king and queen?”

“We're kind of popular,” said Rapunzel.

“Well,” said Eugene, “ _she's_ popular,” he said, indicating Rapunzel. “I'm just popular by association.”

“ _And_ because _you_ can get people arrested,” countered Rapunzel playfully, poking her husband in the chest.

“So can you,” he replied.

“But it's _your_ job.”

“True.”

“Oh,” said Rapunzel, “I nearly forgot. I'll be right back.” She scurried off to the cabin.

“Strike all canvas!” called Eugene as they neared the dock. “Cast out and secure mooring lines!”

The ship ground up to the dock as dozens of hands grabbed the thick ropes and muscled the vessel to a halt. A pair of deck hands produced the gang plank and thrust one end toward another pair of waiting hands down below.

Rapunzel reappeared and sidled up to Eugene. “Eugene? May I speak with you over here for a moment?”

He turned to his family. “Would you all excuse us, please?”

He followed his wife a few yards astern.

“So how'd they react?” she asked him.

“To what?”

“When you told them who I am?” At his raised eyebrow, “You...did tell them, didn't you?”

“I thought you did.”

“They're _your_ family.”

“I still don't know how to tell them...and I wanted you to be there, too.”

Rapunzel glanced over at Eugene's family, who still stood by the railing gazing inquisitively at the crowd. “Oh, this is going to be entertaining,” she said with an amused lilt.

“Just...try to hold it until we're in private?”

“I'll do my best.”

“Losers always whine about doing their best,” he teased, “winners go home and bed the Harvest King.”

She elbowed him in the ribs. “Eugene!” she scolded. “Behave yourself!” She lowered her voice. “You're Prince of Corona. Please act like it.”

“Yes, your Royal Highness,” he said with genuine sincerity.

She smiled, then handed him the silver circlet he wore for out-of-kingdom travel while settling hers onto her own head. Eugene presented his arm like a gentleman, Rapunzel took it like a lady, and together they glided across the deck to the top of the gangway. Eugene looked down at the several children jumping up and down excitedly next to the King and Queen, squealing, “Mama! Papa!”

Catherine looked over at her son. “Are they yours, Eugene?” she asked, indicating the children in question.

Eugene beamed. “Yes, yes they are.”

“They're gorgeous!” Then she noticed the circlet and nudged her husband.

George considered his son for a moment, then looked from him to the squealing children who were being half-herded by the Royals, and then connected the dots. He gawked at his son. “Wait...they...you...she... _no!_ ” stammered the elder Fitzherbert.

Eugene just grinned back at his father before returning his attention to the crowd as he and Rapunzel waved.

“Her Royal Highness, the Crown Princess Elsa and His Highness, Prince Eugene!” announced the Herald.

Eugene always wondered why they did certain things they way they did. Everyone in the kingdom knew both of them. He looked at his family again, all of whom were gawking like codfish.

“Um,” said Rapunzel, “surprise?”

The pair made their way down to the dock, waving and playing to the crowd, something Rapunzel always loved. Before they were halfway to where the King and Queen stood, their four children rushed out to the both of them.

Eugene braced for impact as his children slammed into him and Rapunzel, nearly knocking them over. He wrapped his arms around them, then hoisted one of the twins while Rapunzel picked up little Agatha.

Eugene turned around and motioned for his family to descend. At first, they just stood there, still gawking. Eugene motioned more insistently and Rapunzel turned and did the same.

“Don't make us order you down here!” she called to them, a note of laughter in her voice. Eugene knew she was fighting like mad to keep from collapsing into a heap of giggles.

They turned back to Rapunzel's parents.

“Welcome home,” said the King.

“We were...worried,” said the Queen.

“Oh, the storm?” said Eugene. “Your daughter employed...a rather unusual solution. Remind me to tell you about it during our debriefing.”

The Queen looked past her daughter and son-in-law at the people descending the gangway and raised an eyebrow. “Passengers?” she said.

Eugene grinned. “We...we found my family.”

Liesel's jaw dropped. She quickly recovered. “Your...family? I thought you were an orphan.”

“So did I,” Eugene admitted. “Apparently, that was...not entirely accurate. It was quite by accident that we crossed paths. They've been searching for me for more than thirty years. That search cost them nearly everything, so Rapunzel convinced me to invite them here. I realize we may be overstepping our bounds, but...” He broke off as he looked over his shoulder at his approaching family.

Harold placed a hand on Eugene's shoulder and he looked back at the King. “You did the right thing,” said the King. “Inconvenient, yes...unexpected, certainly...but still right. We'll put them up in one of the guest suites until final accommodation arrangements can be made.”

Rapunzel moved aside as Eugene's parents stepped up to them and bowed low. “Your...Majesties,” they said, a tone of temerity in their voices.

Harold chuckled. “That's not wholly necessary,” he said.

The couple looked up uncertainly.

“We don't like groveling,” explained Rapunzel. “It makes us nervous. So long as we're appropriately respected, all that bowing and scraping is...so last century.”

Eugene's parents rose tenuously.

“Please,” said Eugene, motioning his family to precede them. They tentatively complied and they all walked slowly toward the Palace, the Royal family schmoozing all the way.

*****

No sooner had Rapunzel stepped into the parlor and set her daughter down, than she collapsed onto the floor in a fit of hysterical laughter. She rolled slowly back and forth, her arms and legs flailing, and tears rolling down her face. It was an extremely un-Princessly display.

Eugene's family stared.

Eugene chuckled and his children giggled. “I love it when she does that,” he said. He knew exactly why she was doing it, but, as it directly related to classified information, he kept it to himself.

“Mama's silly!” said Agatha.

“Yes, she is,” said Eugene, “but we love her anyway, don't we?”

The girl nodded vigorously.

Liesel rolled her eyes, but held her tongue, knowing that it would be pointless to say anything until her daughter had calmed down some.

After a full five minutes, Rapunzel's movements slowed and she sat up.

“Elsa, dear,” began Liesel.

“I know, Mama,” said Rapunzel, “Princesses shouldn't roll around on the floor. I'm very sorry,” she continued, still heaving from the laughter, “but you...” She nodded to Eugene's family. “...were...and your...and...” She started laughing again. Eugene set his son down and went to support his wife, lest she again collapse onto the floor.

“She finds your reaction to our revelation that she's the Crown Princess to be highly amusing,” Eugene explained.

“That...appears to be somewhat of an understatement,” said Catherine.

“Is she _that_ easily amused?” asked John.

Eugene chuckled. “You have no idea.” While he himself know what she saw...or, rather, perceived...and that it correlated to particular emotional states, he still had no idea just why she found it nearly as funny as she did.

Rapunzel had recovered a little more. “I'm so sorry...really, I am,” she said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks with a handkerchief. “But that's the funniest thing I've seen since that morning on Mazama.” That had been nearly fifteen years before, the morning after Rapunzel had conceived Sophia and Liesel had conceived Rapunzel's little sister Elsebeth.

George and Catherine looked at each other and then at their son.

“Where's Mazama?” asked Margaret.

“Cascade Mountains of western North America,” replied Eugene.

“One of your jobs took you _there_?” said John.

“Not really, no. Rapunzel and I were there on our honeymoon. Anything beyond that is classified.”

“Why?”

“It's complicated.”

“You keep saying that,” said George.

“That's because it _is_ complicated,” said Harold. “But, as Eugene has stated, it's all classified at the very highest level and if you knew about it, you'd understand why.”

“That's what my son said.”

“And he's completely correct. You'll have to trust him on that. And if you don't, then you'll have to satisfy yourselves with accepting my Royal authority on the subject.”

“You must all be very tired from your journey,” said Liesel, changing the subject. “We're having your belongings brought to a guest suite. In the meantime, we should get you settled. We'll have much to discuss and I very much look forward to getting to know each and every one of you. For now, the King and I must debrief with the Prince and Princess.”

Eugene sighed. “Business before pleasure,” he said with a shrug. “Trust me, being royalty is a lot more work than most people think it is.”

*****

Eugene stood in his study, gazing out the window. His mother and father both sat in chairs, while his brother paced. His sister and sister-in-law were visible in the garden below.

“John, would you relax?” said Eugene. “You've been here a week.”

“You're the bloody Prince of Corona!” John blurted.

“Yes, and we don't bite,” said Eugene. “Well, I might if I were prone to bar brawls, but I don't drink, so that's not likely to happen.”

John blinked. “What do you mean you don't drink? Everybody drinks.”

“I don't,” said Eugene with a shrug.

“Why?” said George.

“Out of deference to my wife and children.”

“Why don't _they_ drink?” said John.

“They have an unfortunate reaction to alcohol.”

“What sort of reaction?” said John.

“That's classified.”

“You keep saying that,” said George. “It's growing tiresome.”

“I realize that,” said Eugene, “but we're still deliberating about your clearance.”

“Oh, please,” said John impatiently, “how can libations possibly be related to kingdom security?”

“I'm not allowed to tell you.” At their deepening frowns, he continued. “Look, I'm not trying to be difficult. But this is very tricky stuff. This information isn't just sensitive, it's downright dangerous. Like I said during our crossing from England, if you knew what I know, you'd understand. You'd also be scared spitless. I realize you're curious, and I understand that. I was just as curious before I learned what I know about this. These secrets are a terrible burden for more reasons than the fact that they're secrets. I'm reasonably certain the answers you seek are not ones you really want and you shouldn't ask questions you don't want answered. Even if we do grant you clearance, there's a better than average chance you'll regret it.”

His family stared at him. “You're...you're serious,” said Catherine.

“Dead serious,” said Eugene. “For the love of all that is sacred and holy, do _not_ underestimate the gravity of the situation. Should we decide to tell you, we'll let you know...and may God have mercy on your souls.”

Without warning, a gaggle of children hurtled by, Rapunzel hot on their heels. They stampeded past the group, laughter and giggles following in their wake. Eugene and his family blinked.

Rapunzel looked back and came to a screeching halt, which worked well with the traction afforded by her bare feet. “Children!” she hollered. They, too, came up short. “Please wait for me,” she instructed. “I'd like to greet your elders.”

“Yes, your Royal Highness,” said the non-Royals. “Yes, Mama,” said her own. “Yes, Elsa,” said her sister.

“Hello, Mister and Missus Fitzherbert,” said Rapunzel. “Are you settling in well enough?”

“Y...yes, your Highness,” said Catherine.

“You know, when we're in private, you do have standing permission to address me by my name.”

They blinked at her.

“Don't worry,” she continued, “it took Eugene some time to adapt to that, too.”

Just then, Eugene's eldest daughter Sophia walked into the room. “Mama?” she said, “I don't feel so good.”

Rapunzel frowned. “Can you be more explicit?”

“Not really.”

“Does it feel like something you've had before?” said Catherine helpfully. “Fever...stomachache...sore throat?”

Sophia's brow furrowed. “I've never had any of that,” she said, shaking her head.

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen, ma'am,” said Sophia.

“When was the last time you were ill?”

“Never, ma'am.”

Catherine cocked an eyebrow. “Now, dearie, princess or not, we need you to tell the truth.”

“But I _am_ telling the truth.”

Catherine was about to say something when Rapunzel interjected.

“She's right, Catherine. She's never been sick.”

“Goodness gracious! You're not serious!”

“That's why I'm concerned.”

Catherine stood up, stepped over to Sophia and placed a hand on the girl's forehead. “Dear heavens! You're burning up!”

“No, she's not,” said Rapunzel. “She's always that warm.” Then she frowned and looked pensively at her daughter. “Although you _are_ running a couple of degrees warmer than usual. Can you describe what you're feeling?”

“Not really.”

Rapunzel sighed. “Very well. If you'd see yourself to your room, I'll come check on you shortly.”

The girl nodded, turned, and walked off down the hall.

Rapunzel and Eugene looked at each other with concern.

“How has she never been sick?” said Catherine to Eugene.

“It's classified,” he replied.

“Well, then what _isn't_ classified?” said George.

“If it isn't classified,” said Eugene flatly, “you'll know because we'll tell you.”

“Is any of the non-classified stuff as interesting as the classified stuff?”

“What makes you think classified information is any more interesting?”

George didn't have a answer.

The King walked into the room. “I think it interests you simply because it's a secret,” he said. “The information itself, if you knew it, might not be particularly any more interesting than, say, discreet mathematics, historical battle tactics, or industrial geology.”

“What he said,” said Eugene.

Rapunzel suddenly jerked her head in the direction of her daughter's room and took in a ragged gasp. Moments later, a loud “WHUMPH” vibrated through the Palace and a scream emanated from the direction of Sophia's room. The Crown Princess abruptly took off at a dead sprint.

“What was that?” said John. “And don't say it's classified.”

“Actually,” said Eugene, “I have absolutely no idea. But I have a bad feeling about it.”

*****

Rapunzel shot past the knot of children in the hallway. “Excuse me!” she yelped on the way by. She skidded around the corner and sprinted to her daughter's room, coming to an abrupt stop in front of the door and nearly ramming into it.

“Sophia!” she called. She heard sobs coming from the other side. “Sophia, honey, it's your mother.”

“Stay out!”

“Why? What's wrong?”

“I'm...I'm dying!” she wailed.

“Um...I know you may think so,” said Rapunzel calmly, “but I can assure you it's something else. May I please come in?”

Sophia didn't answer. Rapunzel tentatively opened the door and let herself in. The sight that met her eyes didn't surprise her. She'd felt the disturbance on the other side of the building even before the others had heard it.  
Sophia sat in the middle of what used to be her bed. That piece of furniture, as well as everything else in the room, had been turned into a scattering of ash and charred cinders. The walls, floor and ceiling were heavily scorched, the paint peeling and the tile badly cracked. The entire room would have to be completely gutted and rebuilt.

Sophia had pulled her knees up to her chest and had her head down. Rapunzel could hear her daughter softly crying. She walked over and knelt down next to the girl.

“Go away,” said Sophia without looking up.

“Is that what you really want?” said Rapunzel gently.

“No,” said Sophia at length. After a long pause, she continued. “Mama, I'm scared.”

“I know.”

“No, you don't.”

“Are you sure?”

Sophia looked up at her mother. “No, not really.”

“Would it surprise you if I'd been through what you're experiencing right now?”

Sophia just gazed blankly at Rapunzel.

“There are two things happening to you,” continued Rapunzel. “One involves blood, doesn't it?”

“How'd you know?”

“I'm a mother. It's my job.” She proceeded to explain menstruation, albeit awkwardly, to her daughter. “The one difference is that my cycle, instead of being monthly, is yearly. I don't know why, but I suspect it's because of what I carry within me. You carry the same things, so I expect it will be so for you, too.”

“What things?”

“You remember the stories your father and I have told you about the sun, yes?”

Sophia nodded.

“Well, they're not just stories. It's why we all heal quickly, why we never get sick, why we glow, why you and your siblings and I can handle extreme heat and why I can make fire with my mind. And, apparently, so can you.” Rapunzel gestured at the destroyed room. “Your father and I have known since your birth that you carry sun-blood, but we had no idea what effect, if any, it would have on you. Now we know. And now it's more important than ever to keep it all a secret.”

Sophia stared at her mother.

“I wasn't born being able to do that, you know,” continued Rapunzel. “It was thrust upon me entirely without warning. One minute, I was a more-or-less normal eighteen-year-old woman. Then I was knocked unconscious and when I woke up, I was suddenly capable of wanton fiery destruction. I had to learn how to control it, use it, and above all, avoid hurting anyone. I was absolutely terrified and I had to learn it all on my own.”

“Why me?” moaned Sophia. “It's not fair!”

“I know...and I said exactly the same thing. So I'll tell you what your father told me. I won't tell you what to do with this, but know that whatever you decide, you have my complete support.”

“Really?” croaked Sophia, wiping the tears from her face.

“Really,” said Rapunzel.

A moment later, Sophia spoke again. “Could I really hurt someone?”

“Yes,” said Rapunzel gravely. “Yes, you could.”

“So if someone had been in here with me when...” Sophia's voice trailed off and she started to choke up.

Rapunzel put an arm around her daughter and held her.

After a couple of minutes, Sophia calmed down some more. “How do I keep from doing that?”

“I can teach you, if you want,” offered Rapunzel.

Sophia nodded.

“Good,” said Rapunzel. “I was hoping you'd say that.” At Sophia's furrowed brow, Rapunzel continued. “Sophia, honey, you have phenomenal cosmic power. With great power comes great responsibility. What we have...and what we are...is the greatest secret in the world.” Rapunzel rose to her feet and gently pulled her daughter to her own.

“I'll help you learn to control it. What you do with it after that will be entirely up to you. Either way, you have to be strong. There are people in the world who, if they knew, would try to use you for their own nefarious purposes. I don't say that to scare you, but it's the truth and you'll have to accept that one way or another. You'll need discipline, whether you like it or not. You stand to be Queen someday, so you'll need it anyway.

“We have a lot to discuss. I want you to know everything. You're going to have questions and I think you'll feel better if you have a lot of the answers already. That'll make the whole thing a lot easier. It might even be fun at times.”

“Fun?”

“Remember when you were learning to ride? And do needlework? And archery?”

Sophia nodded.

“It was difficult at first. What happened after you began to develop some skill?”

“It started being fun.”

“Exactly. You have a lot of raw power and learning to use it will be just like any other skill. Oh, and there are some other things you'll be able to do with it in addition to making fires.”

“Like what?”

“Like perceiving heat...manipulating it. I can teach you all about that, too.”

“Really?” Sophia was sounding increasingly interested.

“Really. But first, you must learn control. That's the most important, but least exciting, part. Will you at least make that commitment right now?”

Sophia nodded. “Yes, Mother.”

Rapunzel smiled. “Are you hungry?”

Sophia nodded vigorously.

“Me, too. You'll have to get used to that, too. You can expect to eat a lot, both as you become a woman, and as a Firewalker. Now, let's go get something to eat.”

Rapunzel led her daughter out of the room and down the hall toward the kitchens. Their bare feet hardly made a sound as they padded across the tile floor.

*****

Eugene stepped from one corridor into another just as his wife and daughter met him going the other direction. He looked from his daughter's distraught expression to his wife's concern and back again. His heart thumped in his chest.

“What...happened?” he asked tentatively.

Sophia looked like she was about to break down into tears when Rapunzel answered. “It's...a growing-up thing, Eugene.” Then she smiled. “Our little girl's turning into a woman.”

“Then what's with the scorch marks?” he asked, indicating the burnt spots peppering Sophia's light gown.

Rapunzel raised an eyebrow and Sophia just glared.

After a moment, Eugene put two and two together and his own eyebrows shot up with such force, that they threatened to fly right off of his head. “You're...she's...you're kidding, right? No, course not. There are _two_ of you? But...how...”

“Eugene,” Rapunzel interrupted impatiently, “you're babbling. Please don't. You remember the couple of years before our wedding, don't you?”

Eugene nodded, then sighed. “I'm sorry,” he said, then stepped over and hugged the two of them. “Sophia,” he said, looking into his daughter's eyes, “I'm going to assume your mother's had a few words with you about this already, am I right?”

She nodded and Eugene continued. “Then you know I was there to give her moral support when she was going through what you are now. You can expect the same from me. Alright?”

Sophia nodded. “Daddy,” she said, her voice nearly trembling, “I'm scared.”

“I know,” he said, giving his daughter another hug. “It'll get better, I promise.”

“That's what Mother said.”

“She's right,” said Eugene.

“Eugene,” said Rapunzel, “Sophia's...kind of hungry. You can understand why, can't you? So we were on our way to the kitchens.”

Eugene grinned. “Give the cook hell for me, will you?”

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. “I always do,” she said as she pulled him down to kiss him.

Sophia rolled her own eyes in a distinctly Rapunzelly way. “Mother! Daddy!” she said. “Must you?”

“Yes,” said Eugene, without taking his eyes off his wife's, “we must.”

“Don't you have a cadet review or something?” said Rapunzel, her voice slightly teasing. “We'll see you later,” she continued without waiting for him to answer. Then to her daughter, “Come along, Sophia, dear, and we'll get you something to eat.”

The two of them strolled off down the hall as Eugene watched them go. It was then that he abruptly noticed now much more his daughter resembled her mother with each passing day. She was beginning to sound like her and even _move_ like her. And now, apparently, she was like her in that other way and he was unsure what that meant for the future of Corona. He sensed some _very_ long talks with both of them in the not-so-distant future.

*****

Catherine Fitzherbert sat in the parlor, her embroidery in-hand. She was very good at it and the Queen had arranged for her to join the staff in that capacity. Her husband, blast him, had insisted that they not simply sit on cushions all day simply because their son had married the Crown Princess. He'd pointed out that the Royals themselves had work to do and who were they to set themselves above a king and queen?

After much argument, Catherine had relented, though she still, even after a month, occasionally grumbled about it being “not proper.” More than once, she caught the Crown Princess raising an eyebrow, as if to say, “Seriously? Get over it already!” But Catherine was still having trouble “getting over it” as her royal daughter-in-law was so fond of putting it. The King oversaw most matters of state, the Queen most domestic matters, both of which were quite proper, she supposed. Her Eugene was doing well as a military man and Catherine seldom bothered to withhold the pride she felt for her son.

The Crown Princess was a peculiar young woman, though. She filled in for her parents when necessary, which Catherine supposed was also proper. But she didn't understand why the Princess didn't just let her husband do all of that. They'd explained that Eugene was busy with his own work and didn't have time and that further, Rapunzel was much better at some things than Eugene was, so it made more sense for her to do them. She also oversaw her children's and sister's educations, and those of her nephews and nieces now that they also lived in the Palace, which Catherine thought should be done by some governess or other.

What troubled Catherine most was that the entire Royal family, including the children, engaged in combat practice...with frying pans, no less! She'd watched on a couple of occasions and had to admit they were all quite good, especially Rapunzel, who looked like she was well on her way to being better than any of them. It made sense when Eugene had explained that it had been Rapunzel who'd pioneered the Pan-Fu combat style.

Still, thought Catherine, Princesses weren't supposed to do that! They were supposed to embroider, entertain, at most do archery. But heavy armored combat? Furthermore, she insisted on going barefoot all the time, a habit she allowed her own daughter to perpetuate. It just wasn't proper! Yes, she'd been told about Rapunzel's years locked away in a tower not even knowing about her true identity. She'd also been told about the repeated comportment-related spats she'd had with the Queen in the year following her homecoming. She'd also noticed that neither Rapunzel nor either of her daughters wore earrings. That wouldn't have been all that strange had they been paupers, of course, but as royalty? That was just...well, perhaps not strictly unladylike, but Catherine had never known any woman of any age to decline wearing jewelry.

It all pretty much boiled down to that the Princess had an outsider's perspective on it all and though she usually toed the line for the sake of appearances, when she took it into her mind to declare something irredeemably silly or pointless, the proper response was always, “Yes, your Royal Highness.” So Catherine was just about to give up resisting and move on to following the Queen in simply smiling and nodding.

Catherine didn't necessarily _dislike_ Rapunzel. On the contrary, she found the young woman to be quite charming and infectiously effervescent. Being around the Princess made her feel young. She'd also noticed how the King and Queen both brightened whenever their daughter entered the room and she was sure much of that had to do with the years of sorrow they'd endured after her kidnapping.

The years had been especially kind to both Eugene and Rapunzel. Both of them appeared to be considerably younger than anyone else in their late thirties Catherine had ever met. In fact, they both looked at least ten years younger than they were. She supposed that, despite all of Eugene's protests to the contrary, Palace life had made them soft. Though their physical condition...the toned musculature in both of them, among other things...said otherwise. Then there was the fact that the Princess and her children ate like horses. How a person could eat that much and still be as lithe and slender as Rapunzel Catherine really didn't know, and that after four children! Catherine supposed it must have come from very good breeding.

“Lost in thought again, mother?” said Margaret, who sat in a nearby chair, also working on some embroidery.

Catherine lowered her work to her lap and exhaled. After a moment, “It's just...they're nothing at all like what we've come to expect of our Royals.”

“Are they really _our_ Royals?”

“Does it matter whose they are?”

“Well...” Margaret was interrupted by a sudden entrance by her niece and the other Princess Elsebeth.

Both girls came sauntering into the room, both giggling about goodness-knew-what.

“Oh, hello, Missus Fitzherbert, Missus Ovington,” said Elsebeth.

“Hello, Aunt Catherine...Aunt Margaret,” said Sophia.

“Hello, your Highnesses,” said both women, nodding their heads in deference.

“You don't have to call me 'Highness,' you know,” sand Sophia. “That's my mother...and my aunt...” She nodded toward Elsebeth, who giggled and rolled her eyes.

“Sophia,” said Elsebeth, “we're the same age. I feel like your sister.”

Sophia just grinned.

Elsebeth turned to her elders. “And you don't have to call me 'Highness' either.”

Both girls sat down on a small sofa and settled down.

Sophia suddenly sat bolt upright, her eyes wide. “Oh, not again!” she moaned. Then she shot up out of the chair and dashed toward the small veranda.

“Your...Sophia?” said Catherine, rising to her feet. “Are you alright?” She took a step and then stopped as Sophia abruptly whirled around.

“Don't come out here!” she ordered.

“What?”

“Stay there!” she growled.

Catherine looked at Elsebeth, who just shook her head and shrugged. No useful information was apparently forthcoming from her.

Sophia turned back around and gripped the stone banister, her back to her aunt, grandmother and aunt.

Catherine wasn't sure what to make of that. Was she being given orders by a fourteen-year-old? True, she was the eldest daughter of the Crown Princess, but.... Her thought was abruptly shattered as a wave of fire rippled outward from Sophia. It swept away from the girl, arching upward like a wave, separating in two like a pair of wings. The flame, if one could call it that, hung there for a moment undulating, then abruptly collapsed inward and vanished.

Sophia stepped back, looked down, and uttered a sound of frustration. She turned around, stalked back into the room, and sat down hard into a chair. She lifted up the front of her dress, peered at it, then grumbled wordlessly before letting it drop in disgust. “I ruined _another_ one,” she growled. “It's not fair!” she said as she crossed her arms and began to pout.

Elsebeth seemed completely unphased. “Would you like to borrow one of mine?” she offered.

Sophie just hrmphed.

Catherine and Margaret stared at the girl for a moment, then both let out a blood-curdling scream.

“What?” demanded Sophia when they'd quieted.

“Jumpy, aren't they?” said Elsebeth.

The two elder women just stared, their embroidery completely forgotten.

At length, Eugene barged into the room. “I heard screaming,” he said breathlessly.

Catherine pointed at Sophia. “She...she...she...” she stammered.

“She what?” asked Eugene uncertainly.

Sophia glared at her father and Elsebeth shrugged.

Eugene took in his mother's and sister's state of alarm, his daughter's sour mood, and his sister-in-law's nonchalance. Then he noticed the scorched spots all over her dress and the thin wisps of smoke rising from them. He exhaled heavily. “Oh, dear,” he said.

“Oh dear?” said Catherine. “She...she...explodes...and all you can say is, 'oh dear?'”

“Discharged,” corrected Eugene.

“You...you _know_ about this?” demanded Catherine.

“Yes,” said Eugene calmly.

“Let me guess,” said Margaret, “it's classified.”

“Highly,” said Eugene.

“Is that why she...” She indicated Elsebeth. “...didn't say a thing?”

“Yes.” He looked at Elsebeth. “Thank-you, Elsebeth. You're doing very well.” Before they could say anything more, he continued. “And just because you've seen it, don't think it isn't still classified. I'll still have to discuss this with the King before we decide how much to tell you about it. Until then, do not, under any circumstances, repeat to _anyone_ what you've just seen. Is that clear?”

Both his mother and sister nodded.

“Good.” Then he turned to his daughter and stepped over to her, kneeling down in front of her. “Sophia, honey, are you alright?”

“Of course I'm alright,” she pouted. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“I'm your father and I love you and it's my responsibility to make sure.”

Sophie considered her father for a moment. “I hate this,” she said, her tone still sour.

“I know.”

“No, you don't. You don't understand. No one does.”

“Your mother would disagree.”

“I s'pose.”

“Remember what we discussed the other day?”

“That you had to watch this happen to Mama and not knowing anything about it and having to just be there for her?”

Eugene nodded. “Exactly.”

Sophia exhaled heavily. “I still hate it.”

Eugene shrugged. “No one says you have to like it. But remember, if it's not this, it'll be something else.” A grin spread across his face. “Besides, the boys would love it.”

Sophia raised an eyebrow in exactly the way Catherine had seen Rapunzel do. “Seriously, Daddy? It's classified. And I have to marry a prince anyway...and there aren't that many of those.”

“Well, I'm with you on the classified part. But who says you _have_ to marry a prince?”

“Grandmother does.”

Eugene chuckled. “Well, yes, normally she'd be correct. You're second in line for the throne of Corona, right after your mother. But, even _she_ didn't marry a prince, remember?”

Sophia giggled, her mood abruptly changing. “Yah, she told me. Are you _sure_ it's true about you?”

“Every word, honey.”

Sophia threw her arms around Eugene's neck. He hugged her back.

“I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you more.”

“I love you most.”

He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “Try not to scare your relatives too much, alright?”

She giggled and then looked at them. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“Don't you have fire training this afternoon?”

She nodded. “And don't you have a...a...security thing?”

“I _always_ have a security thing,” he said with a wry grin. “That's why your grandfather let me stay.”

“And because Mother said so?”

Eugene chuckled. “Well, there was that.” He stood up and tousled his daughter's hair.

“Daddy!” she protested.

He glanced at his sister-in-law, then back at his daughter. “Shall I tousle _her_ hair, too?” he asked, nodding toward Elsebeth.

“No!” said Elsebeth.

“Yes!” said Sophia.

Eugene looked back and forth between the two girls, then quickly reached over and tousled Elsebeth's hair anyway, much to her protests. Eugene just chuckled.

Eugene looked over at his mother and sister. “I'll see if I can't squeeze in a talk with the King this afternoon. I hope to have something resembling a verdict on this by dinner. In the meantime...just remain calm.” He extended his arm to his daughter. She took it and together they strolled out into the hallway.

*****

George Fitzherbert led his family down the main corridor toward the ballroom. He tried to ignore the half-dozen palace guards escorting them. He wasn't sure he was being entirely successful and their presence made him nervous. He wasn't sure why. He and his family had been living in the Palace for a little over a month and he'd grown used to the presence of guards. Somehow, being escorted by them gave him the creeps. They were ostensibly there to make sure the family all arrived together, “for security reasons,” as Eugene had put it. Security reasons? What did that mean? He hoped it meant they were being given that clearance, but at the ballroom? It didn't make sense.

They rounded the corner and George could hear quiet adult voices and a few giggling young ones. The guards stopped at the door to the ballroom and one of them opened it.

“Your Majesties,” one of them said, “the Fitzherbert family.”

“Good,” said the King, “please come in.”

George and company did as requested.

“Please relax,” said the Queen, “you all look like you're on your way to your own trial.”

“Aren't we?” said John.

The Queen tittered. “Of course not!”

“Although,” added Eugene, who stood a few feet away next to Rapunzel and Sophia, who looked _very_ nervous, “after what we're about to show you, you might wish you were.”

George was suddenly even more nervous than before. “Son, that's not funny.”

“No,” said Eugene flatly, “no, it isn't.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” continued Harold, “the Queen and I have been in conference with the Prince and Princess and we've prepared to grant you limited Level-Omega clearance. I'd like to emphasize that this clearance is limited solely to what you're about to see. This is the _only_ Level-Omega information that I'm clearing you all to know at this time. You've already accidentally stumbled onto some of it.

“Before we proceed, however, we need to take care of a couple of preliminaries.”

“Are you asking us to sell our souls?” said John darkly.

Liesel tittered. “Of course not. Don't be so dramatic.”

“Before we say more, we need _your_ promises of silence on the matter.” He indicated a few pieces of paper laying on a nearby table.

“Just...what is this and why is it so important?” said George tenuously.

“What we intend to share is the most closely-guarded secret in the world and, without a doubt, the most dangerous. Now, I haven't had as much time as I'd like to observe you all and gauge your trustworthiness for myself. I have only my wife's impeccable judge of character...which is usually sufficient...and recent...events. I am therefore establishing the following stipulations.

“First, those of you who stay will be hereafter accompanied by someone with high clearance. That person will observe you. Any breach of security on the subject will result in immediate and indefinite house arrest.”

“You can't do that!” objected Catherine.

“I think you'll find that I can,” replied Harold. “But I'm also offering an alternative. Those of you who choose not to abide by my terms are free to leave now.”

Nobody moved.

“I thought as much,” continued Harold. “Be warned, though, that you may regret staying. I've seen what we intend to show you and believe me, you're likely to find it...alarming.”

Sophia squeaked a little and Rapunzel squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Catherine noticed. “What are you going to do to her?”

Harold ignored the question. “Before we begin, I'll ask you each to sign that document.” He indicated the paper on the table. “It's a nondisclosure agreement. It will be your written oath and promise to remain silent. After that, you may not leave the room until I give you permission to do so. Are there any questions at this point?”

There were none and as soon as they'd all signed the paper...the children with a little help from their elders...Harold continued.

“Rather than leaving you all to speculate or worse, encouraging the citizenry to speculate...which I can assure you they've been doing quite enough already on their own...we've decided to share with you all we know about what you've seen our daughter and granddaughter do.” Then he nodded to Eugene.

“Thank-you, Harold,” said Eugene. “In order to understand what we're going to show you, we first need to fill you in on some background information. I'm not normally one for back-story, but this requires context. It could take some time, even in abbreviated form, so I suggest you all make yourselves comfortable. In the meantime...” He stood up. “...could I interest any of you in a drink?”

Nearly everyone nodded. Eugene walked over to a table in the corner on which stood three large pitchers and a collection of silver chalices. He filled several of them before distributing them, then returning to the table to fill more.

George took a sip. “Son? This is water.”

Eugene looked up. “Is that a problem.”

“Of course it's a problem!”

“How?”

“It's _water_! It'll make us sick.”

“Nonsense,” said Liesel. “We collect rainwater in a large cistern. Everyone in the Palace drinks it all the time.”

“I thought Germans were famous for beer,” said John.

“Oh, we are,” said Harold. “But we rarely drink it anymore.”

“I seem to remember something about that during the crossing from England,” said Margaret. “Eugene said it was classified.”

“Remember what I did the other day?” said Sophia. “Mother says that's what happens if we drink beer. Well, it happens to her...and me...and I guess my brothers and sister, too. She says it's _really_ unpleasant.”

“So most of us have given up drinking beer,” said Eugene, “much to the disappointment of the general public. It's been tricky when entertaining visitors from other countries or when we visit them. Nearly everyone enjoys wine or beer on any occasion. We always have to contrive some story or other. Maintaining plausible deniability is very tricky.” He finished filling and distributing chalices before returning to his own seat.

Once everyone had taken their seats, Eugene began. He first reviewed the story of the golden flower.

“That...strains credulity,” said Catherine.

Rapunzel giggled. “Watch this,” she said. She stood up, sat down on Eugene's lap, grabbed her husband, and kissed him passionately. Eugene leaned into it, tipping her over backward, and clearly thoroughly enjoying it. George was pretty sure there was tongue involved. All the youngsters made various comments about how yucky that was and Sophia and Elsebeth just blushed and squirmed. Even the King seemed to be making a visible effort to overlook the public display of affection.

Then the elder Fitzherbert did a double-take. He couldn't be sure, but...no, his eyes weren't deceiving him. His son was glowing...actually, literally _glowing!_ So was the Princess.

“Son?” he said.

Eugene and Rapunzel broke their kiss, their breathing noticeably labored. “Yes, father?” he said.

“You were...were...”

“Glowing?” said Rapunzel. “Yes, he tends to do that when I kiss him like that. It's rather endearing, isn't it?”

“Endearing?”

“Our children do it too,” said Eugene.

“Dear Lord,” said Catherine.

“I told you so,” said Eugene. Eugene and Rapunzel together told the story of how she'd traveled to Ingary and what had happened to her there. George could tell there was something very disturbing they were omitting, but he wasn't about to ask about it. They told about Rapunzel's adjustment period as her body changed to accommodate what they were calling “sun-blood.”

While his family had smiled and nodded during the tale of the golden flower, both when he'd told it during their passage from England, and while he told the abbreviated version. Now, however, they all looked worried.

“The sun-tears,” said Harold, “are the fun part. What we're about to show you is...well, I suppose 'alarming' would be an understatement.”

“Will this be...dangerous?” asked Catherine.

“Highly,” said Eugene.

Sophia squeaked again.

“What?!” exclaimed George.

“And you let us keep our children in here?” demanded Catherine.

Harold regarded the elder Fitzherberts for a moment. “Elsa, are you and Sophia ready?” he asked instead.

“Yes, Daddy,” said Rapunzel, as she turned to her husband's family. “My parents and my husband...and myself, of course...have all seen what we're about to show you. As my dearest Eugene has said, when you see it for yourselves, you'll understand why we've been making such efforts to keep it a secret. You'll also wish we'd kept it that way.” She turned to Sophia. “Sophia, dear, do you remember what we discussed?”

Sophia nodded, the expression on her face still tense. Rapunzel led her to the center of the room and the two of them turned back to the others.

“Children,” continued Rapunzel, mainly addressing her own, “what I've asked Sophia to do now is something your father and I will expect you to do also...when you're old enough.” She turned back to Sophia. “I think you'll find this...exhilarating. Remember, I'll monitor and assist you. I didn't have anyone to help me when I did this fifteen years ago. Are you ready?”

Sophia nodded again. Rapunzel stepped back several paces and nodded to her daughter. The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. At first, nothing happened. Then the room began to vibrate. Suddenly, the air around Sophia began to distort and shimmer.

“You're doing fine, honey,” said Rapunzel evenly. “Keep going...just like that.”

Sophia's body stiffened, then a bright orb appeared around her. It expanded until it nearly filled the room. George gasped. Whatever it was, it was bright, with areas of yellow, orange, and red, all flowing around one another. Something that looked like orange yarn looped off its surface and out of small black spots, slowly moving like some sort of fiery water. Erratic blue lighting crackled across it. The whole thing hummed with a low, throbbing sound. He'd never seen anything like it.

“Good!” said Rapunzel cheerily. “Hold it...now open your eyes.”

George heard a hollow gasp, then an echoing voice that sounded like his granddaughter's, but as though she were in a cave.

“Wow!” exclaimed Sophia's voice. “It's beautiful!”

“Isn't it, though?” said Rapunzel cheerily.

“Is...is that what's inside of me?”

“Yes,” replied Rapunzel. “Inside of you and part of you. It's what gives you your unique abilities.”

The mass continued to surge, as though it had some internal convection.

“Um...Sophia?” said Rapunzel. “I think that's enough.”

“But I want to watch it some more!”

“I know. It was the same way for me. But remember, it's putting strain on the fabric of space-time and...”

“Yes,” interrupted Sophia, “it could trigger a quantum...something-or-other...and that's a bad thing.”

“Interpolation,” corrected Rapunzel, “and, yes, that's bad indeed. Please push it back now.”

“Yes, Mother,” said Sophia.

At first, nothing happened. Then the mass flickered, contorted, and vanished with a loud HISS, leaving Sophia standing there, breathing heavily.

“That was amazing!” she squealed.

“I know!” squealed Rapunzel in a nearly identical way. She trotted over and took her daughter's hands in her own. “You've taken your first step into a larger world. Oh, and look at your hair.”

Sophia gently grasped her single braid, now delicately red-orange-tinted, and pulled it around over her shoulder from where it had been hanging down her back. She held its end up in front her her and her eyes went wide. “Ooo!” she squeaked. Then she dashed over to one of the room's mirrors and began to tilt her head, first in one direction, then in another. “I love it!” she said at last. “Will it stay this way?” she asked, still looking at her reflection.

“I think so,” said Rapunzel. “The coloring in mine still comes and goes to some extent, as I'm sure you've noticed. Some days it's more red and some days less. I have no reason to expect it will be any different for you. You're already a lot like me in so many ways.”

“Wait,” said Sophia after a moment, “didn't you say I'd be able to feel heat-related things?”

“Yes.”

“But...I didn't feel you helping me. Shouldn't I have felt that.”

“Yes, I expect so.”

“You mean...” Her voice trailed off.

“That was all you, dear,” beamed Rapunzel. “You did that all by yourself. Oh, I was ready, but you didn't need any help.”

Sophia grinned, but then her face fell. “Will I still be ruining dresses?”

Rapunzel grimaced. “Yes, I'm afraid so...sorry. I wish I could tell you how much longer it'll be until you fully adapt to all the changes, but...”

“But you were already a grown woman when you acquired yours,” said Sophia.

“Yes. And you're the first to go through this,” continued Rapunzel as she led her daughter back toward the others.

Eugene's family members were still sitting there with their mouths hanging open. Margaret screamed. Catherine fainted and Eugene quickly stepped over to help his father catch her and lower her to the floor. George looked at his son.

“She'll be alright,” said Rapunzel from halfway across the room.

“How do you know?” said George. He was concerned not only that his wife had passed out, but that his daughter-in-law had made such a pronouncement apparently without having even looked.

“It's complicated,” said Rapunzel. “Just trust me.”

“Wow!” exclaimed Thomas. “Do it again!”

“Yes, again, again!” chorused the other children.

“I'm afraid not, young ones,” said Rapunzel. “Once is more than enough. The second time I pulled my own out, I almost couldn't put it back and it nearly tore a mountain range apart.”

Thomas' eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“You're exaggerating,” said Mary.

“No,” said Eugene, “no, she's not.” He turned to his daughter. “Sophia, I might have a solution to your dress issue.”

The girl's face lit up. “Really?”

“But I'm not sure you'll like it.”

“I don't mind having new clothes all the time, but...” She sighed. “...I've ruined four just this week! And I _liked_ them!”

“And it's expensive,” added Harold. Liesel elbowed him in the ribs. He looked at her and shrugged.

“I know you don't want to hear it,” said Eugene, “but your grandfather's right.”

“Your solution?” said Sophia.

“I can make one out of metal.”

“Metal? Isn't that, like, armor?”

“Sort of. It'll be a bit like maille, only much finer.”

“Won't that be heavy?”

“I expect so.”

Sophia eyed her father warily.

“I said you might not like it,” he said.

“But it's fire-proof, right?”

“Yes.”

“How much is _that_ going to cost me?” said Harold. Liesel elbowed him in the ribs again. “What?” he continued. “A cost-benefit analysis is part of evaluating any solution.” Liesel just rolled her eyes.

“So... _that_ ,” said George, gesturing to the now-empty center of the room, “is why my granddaughter...explodes?”

“And why your children can play with hot things like they were at room temperature?” added Mary.

Eugene shot his youngest daughter Agatha a look, but the girl just giggled.

“So that's that that was?” said John. “A piece of a dead star?”

“Two dead stars,” corrected Rapunzel, “but yes.”

“How did it get into your daughter?”

“We're still not entirely sure,” said Rapunzel, “but we think it has to do with...” She giggled. “...well, let's just say it's something private between me and my husband.”

“But wait,” said Eugene, “there's more.” Rapunzel demonstrated a little of the kind of fire-show she'd done at her and Eugene's wedding. All the children were delighted, though Eugene's adult relatives just gawked at it. The pair relayed an abbreviated account of their honeymoon, omitting all the details relating to time-travel.

“That's what I meant by Glenn Pass,” said Rapunzel as they reached that point in the story. They continued, barely glossing over the night Rapunzel had become pregnant with Sophia, though both of them glowed noticeably and Rapunzel smiled in a peculiar sort of way. George was _not_ about to ask about _that_.

They explained, to the extent of their knowledge on the subject, how it was that some of Rapunzel's sun-blood came to become attached to Sophia. It was their theory that not only does the body come together to create children, but the soul as well. Since the sun-blood seems to occupy the same dimensions of space as the soul, that must also contribute to a child's conception. George barely understood that and he wasn't sure how well his son and daughter-in-law did either.

They went on to explain that the sun-blood made Rapunzel and her children literally warmer just like her and that was also why they were impervious to the effects of extreme heat. They explained that the magic of the golden flower that had saved Rapunzel and her mother, which they called “sun-tears,” made her, Eugene, and their children glow and that it somehow protected them from sunburn. Neither she nor Eugene were sure how it worked, but it was why they always took what they called their morning sun-bath.

“Any questions?” said Rapunzel finally.

The adults of Eugene's family just sat there staring. The children wanted more demonstrations.

“Maybe later, children,” said Rapunzel patiently.

“Mama?” said Agatha, “Will I really be able to do those things, too?”

“I think so,” said Rapunzel.

“No, boys,” said Eugene to his sons, “you may _not_ use your apparently forthcoming abilities to set random things on fire.”

“Awww!” they said in unison.

Then Eugene grinned. “You may, however, use them to help me forge the barrel for that large cannon I've been designing.”

“Really?!” they said eagerly.

“Eugene!” scolded Rapunzel. “Don't encourage them!”

“Don't encourage them??” squawked George. “You're telling us that...that my grandchildren...are...can....” His words dropped off as he lost track of his words.

“Father,” said Eugene, “did I not advise you not to ask questions to which you might not really want the answers?”

George nodded.

“Did I not tell you that all of this is classified for good reason and did I not warn you that you might regret being told about it?”

George nodded.

“Then what was it you were expecting?”

George slowly shook his head, his mouth still having trouble with words.

“Then, father, with all due respect...I told you so. This is very serious. I'm sure you all can imagine just why it is that we've gone to such lengths to keep this a secret. No one would understand.”

“We live with it every day,” said Harold, “and even _we_ don't understand it.”

“People tend to fear what they don't understand,” said Eugene, “and that's what makes this knowledge so dangerous. We love our people, they love us, but if they knew what we are, we fear they would panic.”

“Why, they'd burn you at the stake!” declared Catherine.

“And that would accomplish what, exactly?” said Rapunzel. “Neither I nor my children would feel a thing.” After a moment, she corrected herself. “No, on second thought, I think we'd actually enjoy it.”

“That's true,” said Eugene. “But I and the King and Queen would all find it...extremely unpleasant. And so would _you_.”

“Are you threatening us?” said John.

“No. I'm merely informing you of what could happen should this information become public.”

“To that end,” added Harold, “we've been covering for certain events. Sophia's recently-emerged...um...passage into adulthood, for example.”

“And,” interjected Rapunzel, “what you saw Sophia do the other day is also what happens when we drink alcohol. And...um...every morning for three months when I'm expecting.”

“Dear Lord,” said Catherine.

“We've been saying that the boys have a penchant for explosives,” said Harold, “which, it just so happens, they do, so we haven't had to necessarily lie about that...for which I'm grateful, for I find lying to be extremely distasteful.”

“It was quite alarming the very first time,” said Rapunzel. “Like everything else, you just adapt and deal with it. In some respects, we're unique and special. In others, we're just people. We bleed red, feel pain, love our family, have hopes and dreams and responsibilities. We just have...attachments. They just happen to be ones that allow us...and sometimes cause us...to do some things that, to be honest, are a little frightening sometimes.”

“A little?” said Margaret. “Sometimes?”

“As I said,” continued Rapunzel, “we've grown accustomed to it. My children were born with it, so for them it's perfectly natural.”

“We had to explain to them as soon as they were old enough to understand,” added Eugene, “that they're different from everyone else and that they have to be _very_ careful.”

“But,” continued Rapunzel, “these are things other people don't understand and I can't say I blame them. I was a grown woman when I acquired mine and I was absolutely _terrified_! I was afraid I'd hurt, even kill, someone. I was afraid I'd destroy something. I was afraid I might be turning into a monster. Most of all, I was afraid because I had no idea what was happening to me. Now that I've been through it and I've adapted, it's all perfectly normal and natural.”

“N...natural?” said Mary. “You call that natural?”

“Yes. Think about it. How do you think Eve felt the first time she experienced pregnancy? She was the very first one to go through it and she had no idea what was happening to her, let alone what to expect.”

“But women are _supposed_ to get pregnant and have babies!” retorted Mary.

“You're right,” admitted Rapunzel. “What happened to me was never, to my knowledge, in the divine plan, nor was my passing it on to my children. But the magic golden flower wasn't either. Yet it saved my mother's life and my own. I have to believe it's for a reason. How many unusual things have happened in history? How many of them do we read in the Bible and how many more have there been that we don't? How many mysteries remain to be discovered and why does anything we don't understand automatically have to be evil?”

None of Eugene's family could give her an answer.

“That's right,” she continued. “It doesn't! Don't fear us! Instead, rejoice that we've been given something remarkable! To what point or purpose, I know not. Perhaps one day I shall. Until then, I have three very worthy, very well-understood roles...Princess, wife, and mother.” She smiled warmly. “I think we _all_ understand those sorts of things, don't we?”

There were murmurs of assent.

“Now, I'm not going to ask you to forget what you've seen or what we've told you about it. That would be ridiculous and unreasonable. I _will_ ask two things. First, that you abide by the nondisclosure agreements you all signed earlier. No, actually, I insist on it, and so do my parents. The second thing I ask is that you continue to treat me as you did before you entered this room.”

“I don't know if I _can_ ,” said Catherine.

Rapunzel smiled charmingly. “Yes, you can,” she said disarmingly.

“Says the girl with the...er...sun-blood,” said John.

“Woman,” corrected Eugene.

“I understand your reluctance and skepticism,” said Harold. “Believe me, though, when I tell you that if _I've_ come to accept all this as something that is just part of the package, as it were...and I have...anyone can.”

“Then why keep it a secret?” asked George.

“Because,” said Liesel, “there's an immense difference between individual psychology...you few...and group psychology...the many outside these walls. That's not limited to just our own populace.”

“Then there's the issue of the quest for power,” said Harold. In response to several raised eyebrows, he continued. “As you've seen, Corona is a small country. It has a history of rulers who've gone to a great deal of trouble to keep it from being assimilated by its neighbors. The number of such places is perpetually shrinking and with Europe's increasingly tense political climate, maintaining a low profile is more important than ever. Still, I fear, like my father before me, that it will only be a matter of time before Corona is swallowed up.” Both the Queen and Princess started to protest and Harold held up a hand. “It may not happen in my lifetime or yours. Your great-grandchildren might not even see it. Though I still hold out hope that a few of the smaller principalities may yet remain independent from their neighbors for centuries to come. God willing, Corona will be among them.

“Could you imagine, however, what might happen if someone bent on nefarious purposes were to learn of our little secret?” He paused for effect, then continued. “Now, we seriously doubt anyone could really stand against our dear Rapunzel.” He smiled at his daughter, then let it fade. “That is, unless it were a very large army equipped with a goodly amount of gunpowder. Furthermore, while our Eugene has made a great many improvements to security kingdom-wide, it is still theoretically possible that someone could manage to kidnap one of my grandchildren, then use them as leverage to force me and my daughter to do whatever they wished.” Rapunzel's expression darkened to a deep glower and George thought his saw small flames begin to flicker off of her skin. He recalled the incident at the dockside back in England and after what he'd just learned, he was quite sure he never wanted to be on that woman's bad side.

“That,” continued Harold, “must not happen...ever. Not only would it hit far too close to home for my wife and myself, but it would greatly upset us all personally and be disastrous for Corona and its people. Our law code is...unique in Europe. While a few provisions in the criminal code are...shall we say, antiquated and sadly like those of most of Europe much to my persistent exasperation...most of the remainder has resulted in well-balanced policies that benefit both us and the populace. Nearly everybody is happy and we'd all like very much to keep it that way. But the balance on which it all rests is precarious, not the least because of the growing ambitions of our neighbors.”

“Then why not use her...power...to turn the tables on _them_ instead?” asked John.

Harold sighed. “I must confess the thought has occurred to me. Imagine, if you will, what would happen were I to deploy my daughter as a weapon. Presume first that she were to agree to it, which I highly doubt. Then presume that we would be victorious on the battlefield with what most generals would consider to be an acceptable casualty rate. We would first have to raise an army, which would be a severe drain on our people. Funding the subsequent campaign, even assuming it were to progress rapidly, would be costly and place an even greater burden on the people. Finally, most of the damage to the enemy would fall to Elsa...Rapunzel...and that is a burden I cannot and will not ask her to carry. We will, of course, defend ourselves if attacked, but otherwise...” He shook his head. “No, John, aggressive military action is out of the question.”

“Who said anything about aggressive military action?” countered the younger Fitzherbert.

Harold raised an eyebrow. “You suggest a covert operation, then?”

“Why not?”

“Because again, even beginning such depends upon my daughter's cooperation and again, it involves assassination and again, I will not ask her to bear the burden of taking human life. My decision is final, ladies and gentlemen.”

“Um...your Majesty,” said Margaret, “forgive me, but won't the problem grow worse?”

“There is nothing to forgive,” said Harold. “How do you figure it will grow worse?”

“We know the Princess has passed on her...abilities...to her eldest and, we presume, to the others as well.”

“I see where you're going. That has occurred to me as well and it worries me greatly. There is indeed mounting evidence that Sophia's siblings will also come to be able to wield their power as they come of age. We have no reason to think that any further children...” He shot a glance at Rapunzel. “...will not also bear that power. Furthermore, it would be reasonable to conclude at this juncture that my grandchildren...the girls at least...bear the capacity to pass it on to their own children and so on.”

“There is still plenty we don't know,” said Mary.

“Indeed. We don't know if Sophia or her siblings will be as powerful as their mother. Nor do we know if the power will be diluted over subsequent generations. However, if, as my daughter has attested, the sun-blood grows stronger, it may very well be that she's the first of...what was that term...oh, yes...a new sub-race of super-humans. Interestingly, certain information in our possession suggests that will not be the case.”

“What information?” said John.

“That's classified. Suffice it to say that there are things we know about the future and things we do not. It's the latter that concerns me. Others would try to take to world by the horns and steer history to their own ends. History tells us that all such attempts to this point have been futile. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that we need to keep this from the world as much as is humanly possible and let history sort out the details. This is all very dangerous information and I trust we've sufficiently explained and demonstrated why.”

“In fact,” added Rapunzel, “a good friend of mine...the man who brought me to Ingary, no less...once told me that I'm the most dangerous person in the universe. At the time, I thought it downright laughable. Not derisively so, mind you, simply mind-bogglingly ridiculous. I mean...” She shrugged. “...I'm just little ol' me. Or so I said at the time. I also said that I didn't want to be dangerous and that I just wanted to be Princess and Queen some day and have children and just be...you know...normal for once in my life. While I _still_ don't want to be dangerous, I've come to accept that what I want is irrelevant. I'm not normal and I'm fine with that.”

“Now,” continued Harold, “Eugene is a good man...a bit impulsive, though, which my daughter happens to find endearing...and I can only hope that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree, as it were. Still, I must be absolutely sure that our secrets will remain such. A failure in this area could be disastrous.

“We will be watching you. Pursuant to our agreement, anyone who speaks a _word_ of _any_ of this _will_ be placed under house arrest indefinitely. While such a breach of high security constitutes treason and while treason is punishable by death, there is a provision that exempts members of the Royal family and instead mandates that they be placed under house arrest. Strictly speaking, you're _not_ members of the Royal family. However, I'm exercising my legal authority to interpret that law. You're all immediate family to my son-in-law and as such, I'm willing to consider you as good as such.” He looked at the children. “Besides, it would be unconscionable to execute children.”

Then Harold addressed the youngsters specifically. “It is a heavy burden I'm placing upon the lot of you. It's the sort of responsibility none of you should have to carry for several years yet. Yet keeping it is very important to everyone's safety. Your cousins have been doing this all their lives and they can help you. Do you all understand?”

“Yes, your Majesty,” they replied in unison.

“But...Harold,” said Mary, “how are we to maintain...how'd you put it...plausible deniability? What do we say when people ask us about...whatever it is they see?”

“I presume you mean things like when Sophia has to run to a balcony to discharge?”

“Among other things, yes.”

He turned to his youngest granddaughter. “Agatha, dear, have you been toting around hot coals again?”

The girl looked up at him sheepishly, which was a sufficient enough reply.

“What have we told you about that? It's very dangerous. We know hot things don't hurt _you_ , but we need to be sure no one finds out you can do things like that. And we don't want you accidentally setting our house on fire either.”

“Yes, grandpapa,” she responded despondently.

“Now,” continued Harold, “as I just said, our collective safety depends upon your silence. I can assure you that anyone bent upon using my daughter or her children to acquire my kingdom or any other will not hesitate to use _you_ or any of your family as leverage. As of this moment, your fate is intertwined with ours. I don't expect you to like it, but I _do_ expect you to do everything in your power to improve its outcome. I don't like it either and believe me, from where I'm standing, it's just one more headache.”

George looked at Eugene. “Son, whatever in God's name _did_ you get yourself into?”

Eugene just smiled and slipped an arm around his wife's waist. “Her,” he said pointing to her with his free hand.

Rapunzel elbowed him in the ribs. “Eugene!” she scolded.

“Daddy!” echoed Sophia.

Harold coughed and Liesel blushed. His other family all rolled their eyes or fidgeted.

“No, really, son,” said George, “what have you done?”

“I fell in love, father,” said Eugene, “and we made four wonderful children together and we're all making a life for ourselves.”

“Is that what you call this?”

“Of course! What else would it be? I have a wonderful family whom I love very much. What's the problem?”

“ _That!_ ” exclaimed George, gesturing toward the space Sophia's sun-blood had occupied.

“I could tell you to ignore it, but...”

“Ignore it? Son, how can you say that?”

“George,” said Harold, “I know how you feel.”

“Do you?”

“Yes. Remember, it's _my_ daughter who first acquired the sun-blood. Recall that I lost her once. When she returned with her...cargo...I didn't know what it was, what it might do to her, or how to deal with it. I was terrified that I might lose her again. Surely you must understand what that's like.”

George looked at Eugene for a few moments. Then the tension seemed to leave him. “Yes,” he said at last. “Yes, I do.”

“I won't tell you how to deal with all of this, save for your silence. It's alarming, to be sure. But at the end of the day, my daughter, her husband and their children are people. They have something extraordinary and something tells me they will all have some equally extraordinary roles to play in future history. They have great power and with great power comes great responsibility. That's something that should not be taken lightly.”

Harold paused. “Here's another way to think of it, a way that's much closer to our own approach and it's how we've come to regard the matter. This secret is a burden, yes. But it's also been a bond that's joined us together in a way that's made us stronger. For us, it's no longer so much that we've been saddled with a burden, as much as it is that we've been given the privilege of being guardians of extraordinary, albeit highly sensitive, knowledge.

“Being a part of that guardianship is much like being part of our family. You have a choice before you. You can embrace it, boldly accept that responsibility, and share it with us. Or you can spend your days grumbling under the burden of its load. It's all about how you look at it.”

“So,” said Thomas, “we're like the keepers of the Holy Grail?”

“Precisely,” said Harold.

“I...hadn't thought of it that way,” said George.

“At first,” said Rapunzel, “neither did we. For a while it was, 'oh, woe is me, why is this happening, what did I do to deserve it,' and so on. I think Eugene could tell you how many tears I cried over it.”

“She nearly turned all my tunics into towels,” said Eugene.

“Trust me, it's better this way.”

“Now,” said Harold, “If we're finished here, I believe it's time for lunch.”

“Oh, good,” said Sophia, “I'm famished!”

Harold turned toward the door, then paused. “This will be my only warning to remain silent. I will _not_ tell any of you again. It's _that_ important. Agreed?”

There were no further objections.

“Good. Then we have an accord.” At that, he opened the door and led them all down to the dining hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The revile call is the format for modern US Navy vessels.

**Author's Note:**

> The reference to the East India Trading Company is potentially anachronistic. In my interpretation of the timeline of "Tangled," I chose 1600 as the year in which the movie takes place. (I feel most of the on-screen evidence supports an earlier date than the eighteenth century stated by the producers.) The EITC was officially established at the end of December 1600, and so would not have existed when the Flynn Rider stories would have been written. The reference in this story is one the reader might recognize from "Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl." Flynn strikes me as the sort of adventurous character who would have done something like that.
> 
> There are, peppered throughout the story, references to events appearing in "The Sun-bearer Chronicles" series. While said events are foundational, I hope their implications in this story have not been distracting to the reader.


End file.
